Cristiano Ronaldo sold his Ballon d'Or to Israel's richest man for eye-watering amount of money
Four of Cristiano Ronaldo's five Ballon d'Or trophies are currently located at his personal 'CR7' museum in his birthplace of Madeira, while the other belongs to Israel's richest man. But why?
Ronaldo managed to break Messi's four-year streak in 2013, when he was awarded the second Ballon d'Or of his career after coming out on top with 27.99 per cent of the vote.
More often that not, footballers who win a Ballon d'Or will hand over a replica version of the trophy to their club of choice. For example, all eight of Lionel Messi's reside in Barcelona's museum at the Camp Nou.
But years after winning, Ronaldo's trophy from 2013 went to auction, with all proceeds going to Make-A-Wish – a UK-based charity that grants wishes to children and young people aged 3-17 who are fighting life-threatening illnesses.
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The event took place in London, where millionaire and philanthropist Idan Ofer made a staggering €600,000 winning bid for the gold ball. Ofer could be seen posing with the trophy alongside Ronaldo's long-time representative Jorge Mendes.
In addition to the above, a meet and greet with Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho at a boxing event in Manchester was also up for grabs at the auction, as someone forked out €30,000 for the privilege.
As you can imagine, auctions for Ballon d'Or trophies aren't too common, although the silverware and memorabilia collected by Real Madrid legend Alfredo di Stefano made a significant amount in 2021.
In fact, Di Stefano's Ballon d'Or trophy from 1957 went for more than £60,000, while his second from 1959 sold for £54,400.
The rare 'Super Ballon d'Or', meanwhile, commanded a bid of £187,500.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the France Football magazine, they handed out the Super Ballon d'Or.
Only European players were in contention for the award – meaning the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona were not eligible.
Di Stefano was born in Argentina, and played there until 1949. He later went on to represent Colombia and then Spain, having earned citizenship that qualified him for this trophy.
Cruyff and Platini were among the nominees but the award went to Di Stefano, 30 years after his second Ballon d'Or win.
The one-of-a-kind award was stationed at the Real Madrid Museum at the Santiago Bernabeu for years but then went to auction in September 2021 as part of a 'Property from the estate of Alfredo Di Stefano' event.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ballon d'Or
Jack Kenmare