Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has raised £600,000 by auctioning his 2013 Ballon d'Or trophy for a charity at Dorchester hotel in London on 1 October, Sunday.
The 32-year-old had decided to donate the fund to Make-A-Wish foundation. The organisation usually works for those children, who are suffering from life-threatening medical conditions.
Ballon d'Or is known as one of the career best achievements for any footballer. Ronaldo received the prestigious award for the second time in 2013 after winning Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. So far, he has won four Ballon d'Or awards, three with Real and one with his former club Manchester United.
According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, the Los Blancos player had asked for the replica of the trophy after winning it. While the original is still in his personal trophy museum in Madeira, the replica was given for the charitable auction. Israeli millionaire and philanthropist Idan Ofer bought the 2013 Ballon d'Or replica at the London auction.
Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes took the replica to the event in London and represented the Portuguese international in the absence of his client.
Numerous charity works have made the Portuguese forward the winner of 'Athletes Gone Good list'. He also became the world's most charitable sportsperson in 2015, according to DoSomething.org.
Here are some instances of his charitable deeds.
Around £456,000 donation to a non-government organization
At the start of the Los Blancos, Ronaldo had asked Mendes to donate £456,000 approximately to a non-government organization, the Independent said. It was the bonus amount for the winners of 2016 UEFA Champions League, which he received after the victory against Atlético Madrid and donated to charity.
Helped Nepal earthquake victims
In 2015 the Portugal born footballer donated £5 million to the victims of the devastating Nepal earthquake, which killed over 8,000 people.
Sold Golden Boot for Gaza
Ronaldo donated about £1.3million to Palestinian school children in Gaza by selling his Golden Boot, which he achieved in 2011.
Donation to Save the Children
In 2016 December, Ronaldo donated funds to a foundation called 'Save the Children', which mainly worked for the war-affected children of Syria. He also posted a video on social media with the caption, "A message of hope to the children affected by the conflict in Syria."
