Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or Nets €600K for Make-A-Wish Charity at Auction

Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or award was recently purchased for €600,000 at a Make-A-Wish charity auction, per a report from Marca. A replica of the award won by the Real Madrid forward in 2013 was bought by Israel's richest person, Idan Ofer, according to the report.

The fee paid by Onda will be absorbed by a charity dedicated to making memories for children suffering from terminal illnesses.

As Marca noted, a player choosing to dedicate a replica of his award to charity is rare: "Usually when a player wins the prestigious award, they ask for the replica to be given to the club or they prefer to keep it in a trophy cabinet. Ronaldo specifically asked for the replica of his 2013 award to be donated to the charity auction."

Ronaldo's generous gesture wasn't the only one made by high-profile figures from the footballing world. The report also revealed how rival managers Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola also contributed.

Dave Thompson/Associated Press

Mourinho and Guardiola, who are respectively in charge of Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and Manchester City, generated a sum of €30,000. The fee was paid for the right to meet both managers during a boxing match to be held in Manchester.

The work of all three—in particular, the awesome donation generated by Ronaldo's contribution—is a credit to those involved, and it is a worthy example of the positive impact football has and must continue to make across various charities.