He may not have scored a goal, but he indirectly got a family closer to theirs.
An armband tossed aside by Cristiano Ronaldo during a World Cup qualifying match sold for 64,000 euros (about $75,000) at an auction to benefit a 6-month-old Serbian boy with a rare disease.
The 36-year-old Portuguese superstar was miffed after his goal in the waning minutes of a 2-2 draw March 27 in Belgrade was disallowed, the Associated Press reported. Ronaldo’s header appeared to cross the line before a defender cleared it, but it was ruled out, and the Serbian stadium didn’t have proper review technology.
As the match concluded, Ronaldo ripped off his captain’s armband and threw it on the ground while leaving the pitch. It was picked up by firefighter Djordje Vukicevic, who was working at the match, according to Agence France-Presse.
Vukicevic decided to auction the armband, with proceeds going to the family of Gavrilo Djurdjevic, Reuters reported. Six-month-old Gavrilo suffers from spinal muscular atrophy.
After three days of online bidding, the armband sold for 64,000 euros, the AP reported.
Gavrilo’s family needs almost $3 million to pay for his treatment, according to Reuters. Prior to the auction, they’d received about $580,000.
