Cristiano Ronaldo has been a force to be feared since his move to Al-Nassr in 2023. The 39-year-old Ronaldo has been in phenomenal form since the start of the 2022–23 season and has scored 22 goals in 20 matches for Al-Nassr. His enduring prowess and unwavering commitment have clearly made him an icon of the game and are truly an inspiration for everyone.
Having bagged five Ballon d’Or trophies throughout his career, CR7 has written his name in the history book of all-time greats. But surprisingly, he once auctioned one of his Ballon d’Or trophies, albeit for a noble cause.
When Cristiano Ronaldo sold his Ballon d’Or to Israel’s wealthiest
Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary career has seen him clinch a total of 5 Ballon d’Ors in his 20 long-term careers. He currently sits in the second position for the most Ballon d’Ors in history. A particularly heartwarming moment in his great journey occurred when Cristiano Ronaldo won his second Ballon d’Or in 2013 with Real Madrid.
However, this Ballon d’Or is no longer in the possession of the former Real Madrid star. Ronaldo made a selfless decision to donate his Ballon d’Or to charity. This Ballon d’Or was later auctioned by an organization named Make-A-Wish, which transformed Ronaldo’s act of kindness into a source of joy for young children.
According to The Mirror, the Ballon d’Or was sold at an astonishing price of €600,000 in the auction to raise money for the Make-A-Wish charity. This money raised would be used to help the ill children’s and help them achieve their dreams. The fact that the Ballon d’Or was finally bought by the richest person in Israel, Idan Ofer, adds to the impact of this heartwarming story.
Apart from Ronaldo’s wonderful act of giving his Ballon d’Or to the charity, the generous contribution from great coaches like Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, who each donated €30,000 to the charity event, demonstrates the solidarity within the football world.
Cristiano Ronaldo once clapped back at France soccer editor’s Ballon d’Or lies
In 2021, a news article was aired by the New York Times in which French Football Editor-in-Chief Pascal Ferre made a public comment about Cristiano Ronaldo after Lionel Messi won his 6th Ballon d’Or. Pascal Ferre told the New York Times that “Ronaldo has only one ambition and that is to retire with more Ballon d’Or than Messi and I know because he told me.”
This comment soon started to become the headline of the day and people started to believe what the Chief Editor had said. Thus, Cristiano Ronaldo came out furiously in his post, claiming that the chief editor has “lied” about the comment. He also added that he used his name to promote himself and the publication he works for. Ronaldo slammed the comments of Pascal Ferre as he gave his own explanation on Instagram.
It was great to hear Ronaldo’s perspective on his career ambition, where he said that “my biggest ambition of my career is to win national and international titles for the clubs I represent and for the national team in my country.”
Winning 5 Ballon d’Or awards over a 20-year career is an incredible feat and even donating one to a charity is an incredible feat. That is why many people regard him as the greatest player of all time and look up to him as an inspirational figure.
