A horrific tragedy struck the nations of Turkey and Syria on the 6th of February, as a series of brutal earthquakes reduced parts of both countries to rubble.
As per geological recordings, the earthquakes were the most powerful the world has seen in centuries, with the mainshock being at a magnitude of 8.0.
Citizens were caught blindsided by the natural disaster, and as many as 23,000 have lost their lives, with that figure rising every day.
The force of the shocks was so severe that buildings turned to ruins in a matter of seconds, trapping people beneath heaps of rubble.
International rescue efforts are currently underway and people from all over the world have been encouraged to pitch in and help save lives.
The Football fraternity is also doing its part by donating and calling on others to do the same.
While many players have donated to relief organizations on their accord, others have joined up with Atalanta defender Merih Demiral’s outstanding fundraiser.
Through his eSports outfit Team Demiral, the Turkey international has been auctioning off signed jerseys of some of the biggest footballers in the world with all the proceeds going towards the people of Turkey.
After announcing the fundraiser, he got in touch with former teammates Cristiano Ronaldo, Leonardo Bonnuci and Paulo Dybala, who all offered signed jerseys which were then put up for auction.
Since then, many other big names have joined the relief efforts including Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and many others.
So far, Demiral has managed to raise ₺5,000,000, and the shirt which fetched the highest bid was Cristiano Ronaldo’s at $212,450.
The fundraiser is still ongoing with various superstars joining the effort every day.
Among the recent participants is Paris Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.
As announced by Demiral through his Twitter, the Frenchman wanted to contribute to the campaign and he has done so by offering up a signed jersey.
On the back of his heroic exploits at the World Cup Mbappe’s stock is higher than ever, which will likely see his jersey fetch a very high bid.
Fans online praised the France international for taking initiative and showing his sense of humanitarianism.
While it might be a simple contribution on the face of it, the money raised from his jersey will likely help save lives.
Seeing Footballers step up for the greater good is always wonderful to see, especially when players from all over the World come together for a noble cause.
Merih Demiral in particular deserves all the plaudits heading his way for putting all this together and making a difference.