Israel's richest man, Idan Ofer, has purchased a copy of the Ballon d'Or ordered by Cristiano Ronaldo for charity, adyrna.kz reports citing Tengri Sport.
According to The Mirror, we are talking about a story that happened in 2017, when the Portuguese last won the prestigious individual trophy.
"The 2013 competition was one of the most intense in history, with the Portuguese star beating Argentinean Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery of France," writes the publication. "After the award ceremony in 2017, Ronaldo decided to donate one of the awards to charity.
According to reports from Marca, Ronaldo specifically asked for an extra copy of his 2013 award to be auctioned off for charity, with ESPN adding that the original trophy remained on display at a museum in Madeira.
A copy of the trophy was bought at auction for 600,000 euros by Ofer, whose fortune Forbes estimated at $9.9 billion. The proceeds from the sale, according to the source, was sent to a charity that helps children with serious illnesses.
We add that the 37-year-old Ronaldo's won five Golden Balls during his career: the first trophy was obtained in 2008, when he played for Manchester United, and four more when he played for Real Madrid.
