Former Juventus defender Merih Demiral has announced that he'll be auctioning a signed Cristiano Ronaldo jersey from his collection to raise funds for the areas devastated by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Taking to Twitter, Demiral, who was a teammate of Ronaldo at Juventus, said that he had spoken to the former Manchester United forward about the situation in Turkey and Syria, before deciding to auction his signed jersey to raise funds. The amount received from the auction will be donated to a local NGO.
"I just spoke with @Cristiano. He said that he was very sad about what happened in Turkey. We are auctioning Ronaldo's signed jersey in my collection. All proceeds from the auction will be used in the earthquake zone. The funds will be donated to @ahbap," Demiral captioned a post of the signed jersey on Twitter.
On Monday, a strong earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria in the early hours, devastating cities and killing and injuring thousands.
More than 9,500 people have been killed and thousands more injured, authorities and medical sources reported, as efforts continue to save those still trapped under rubble.
Syrian state media and rescuers said Wednesday that 2,547 people had died in the earthquake, while Turkey reported its latest toll at 6,957, bringing the confirmed tally in both Turkey and Syria to 9,504.
Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu was rescued from the rubble of the earthquake, the country's football asscoation had announced on Friday.
"Good news! We've received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment," Ghana's football body said on Twitter.
Atus, 31, is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.
(With AFP Inputs)