The captain armband Cristiano Ronaldo angrily threw on the pitch towards the end of a FIFA World Cup qualification match between Portugal and Serbia has been sold for 64,000 euros.
On March 27, 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal to play against Serbia, unfortunately for the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner, he scored a goal towards the end of the game but it was not counted.
If the controversial late-minute goal was counted, Portugal would have won the game 2-3 but the controversial decision forced the game to end 2-2 to the dismay of most football fans.
Hence, the decision got Ronaldo very angry and decided to rip off his captain armband, threw it on the pitch, and stormed off the pitch seconds before the end of the match.
Days after the game, a firefighter who was on duty at the Red Star Stadium in Serbia during the match, Djordje Vukicevic revealed that the captain armband fell in front of him.
“Ronaldo was agitated [and] he threw the armband. It fell right next to me,” Vukicevic confirmed. He decided to pick it up and was verified that it was the original armband of Ronaldo before it was auctioned.
Immediately it was announced that the captain armband has been auctioned, people began to bid for it until the bid hits thousands of euros. At the end of the bidding process, the winning bid was 64,000 euros.
The proceeds of the bid will be contributed to the treatment of a Serbian child Gavrilo Djurdjevic who is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy. The little child needs £2.1 million for the treatment of the health challenge.
Since the 64,000 euros that Vukicevic and his team auctioned Cristiano Ronaldo’s armband is not enough for the treatment of Gavrilo, Vukicevic said he would continue to collect memorabilia from footballers to raise the medical fund of the little child.
In reaction to the gesture of the firefighter, the mother of Gavrilo, Nevena, said the proceeds from the sale of the captain armband would be a great contribution to the treatment fund of the little child.
“We could not believe that some people who do not even know us… would take the armband, auction it and help our child,” she said.
