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By Patrick Snell and Amy Woodyatt, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 7:04 AM EST, Wed February 22, 2023
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Merih Demiral: Turkish footballer teams up with Ronaldo, Messi and Mbappé for earthquake fundraiser
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CNN —
Following this month’s earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria, Turkish soccer star Merih Demiral is organizing a fundraiser to support victims of the devastation in his home country
Demiral, who plays for Italian Serie A club Atalanta, is auctioning off jerseys and kits of superstar players like Cristiano Ronaldo as well as World Cup winners Lionel Messi and Gigi Buffon to support survivors of the deadly quake, which killed tens of thousands of people.
The 24-year-old Demiral told CNN’s Patrick Snell that he had already donated to Turkey earthquake funds, but felt compelled to organize the fundraiser.
Merih Demiral teamed up with former Juventus teammate Cristiano Ronaldo for the campaign.
“I thought I should do something more … it was necessary to raise awareness of people of Italy, Europe, America, all over the world,” Demiral told CNN.
More than 48,000 people have died across Turkey and Syria since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6. Meanwhile, almost 900,000 people are living in tents and containers in Turkey following the disaster and subsequent tremors, according to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Demiral decided to auction the signed jerseys of famous players to raise money to support victims of the disaster, and initially enlisted the help of former Juventus teammate Ronaldo.
Merih Demiral, who is currently with Atalanta BC, wanted to raise awareness of this month's deadly quake.
“I called my friend Cristiano, I spoke with him and he said he was really sad also,” he said, adding that the Portuguese star is a “really special guy.”
“I was writing to him, I was explaining to him what happened in Turkey, and he said he was also sad.”
With Ronaldo’s permission, Demiral decided to sell a signed shirt that the soccer star had given him as a gift two years before, while Ronaldo arranged for an additional shirt from his latest club, Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, to be sent and sold.
“In Turkey they love him so much,” he added.
Demiral’s campaignquickly gained traction, and soon his other former Juventus teammates Leonardo Bonucci and Paulo Dybala had offered to contribute, along with Italian goalkeeper Buffon.
Demiral has secured jerseys from Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain.
“Almost everyone wants to support this campaign,” Demarial said.
Demiral also tapped up Manchester City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan, who helped him secure jerseys from Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, while Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma helped him secure shirts from Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
On Sunday, Turkey’s disaster management authority said it had ended most search and rescue operations nearly two weeks after the earthquake struck. Experts say the chances of survival for people trapped in the rubble this far into the disaster are unlikely.
Efforts to retrieve survivors have been hampered by a cold winter spell across quake-stricken regions, while authorities grapple with the logistical challenges of transporting aid into northwestern Syria amid an acute humanitarian crisis compounded by years of war.
An aerial view of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey, on February 18, 2023.
Tent city set up in Hatay, Turkey by the coordination of Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) of Turkey on February 18.
People pray for earthquake victims at Grand Camlica Mosque during the Lailat al Miraj in Istanbul on February 17.
People wait near a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, hoping for news of their missing relatives on February 14.
A woman is rescued from rubble in Hatay, Turkey on February 14. Rescue teams in southern Turkey said they were still hearing voices from under the rubble more than a week after the earthquake.
Children sleep in a tent in Idlib, Syria, where an amusem*nt part was turned into a shelter for earthquake victims.
A man walks near a building that toppled over onto a neighboring structure in Golbasi, Turkey, on February 13.
People dig graves for earthquake victims in Idlib on February 13.
People line up to receive supplies in Samandag, Turkey, on February 13.
This satellite image, taken on February 13, shows a landslide blocking a road in Islahiye, Turkey.
Derya Akdogan is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 13.
Two people walk through earthquake ruins in Hatay on February 12.
Members of a Greek rescue team work at the site of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 11.
Sezai Karabas is put on a stretcher after being rescued from rubble in Gaziantep, Turkey, on February 11. Karabas' young daughter Sengul was also rescued.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with residents in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on February 11.
Residents walk near a destroyed mosque in Antakya, Turkey, on Friday, February 10.
People bury earthquake victims in Adiyaman, Turkey, on February 10.
Rescuers try to free a child trapped under rubble in Hatay on February 10.
People sit on furniture outside damaged buildings in Jandaris, Syria, on February 10.
Cranes remove debris next to destroyed buildings in Antakya on February 10.
People mourn their loved ones as earthquake victims are buried in Adiyaman on February 10.
Rubble is seen in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
A man lies on a stretcher after he was rescued in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
This aerial photo shows damage in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
Raziye Kilinc is carried through a crowd on a stretcher after she was rescued from a destroyed building in Iskenderun, Turkey, on February 10. Her daughter is seen waving at the top.
A man walks past collapsed buildings in Hatay on February 10.
Search-and-rescue workers aid a cat that was rescued in Kahramanmaras on February 10.
A woman mourns at a hospital in Kahramanmaras while others rest nearby on February 10.
Rescuers carry Zeynep Kahraman after pulling her alive from the rubble of a building in Kirikhan, Turkey, on February 10.
A rescuer shows a hole where he was speaking to Kahraman while she was still under the debris on February 9.
Destruction is seen in the city center of Kahramanmaras on February 9.
Rescuers move a 14-year-old girl from under some rubble in Kahramanmaras on February 9.
Firefighter Erhan Sarac and other rescue team members celebrate after a successful evacuation in Elbistan, Turkey, on February 9.
Mehmet Nasir Duran sits on a chair as heavy machines remove debris from a building where five of his family members were trapped in Nurdagi, Turkey, on February 9.
People stand next to the dead bodies of earthquake victims in Elbistan on February 9.
A man, center, reacts after rescue team members removed the dead body of his father in Elbistan.
Members of search-and-rescue teams work at the site of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 9.
Destruction is seen in the center of Hatay on February 9.
A couple mourns the loss of their daughter as her body is transferred to Syria from the Turkish crossing point of Cilvegozu on February 9.
A bird pulled from the rubble in Hatay is given water on February 9.
Search-and-rescue efforts continue in Aleppo on February 8.
Abdulalim Muaini lies under the rubble next to the body of his wife, Esra, in Hatay on February 8. Reuters reported that he was pulled out of the rubble later and survived. His children also died.
Rescuers carry a man who was stuck in the rubble for two days in Hatay.
Rescue workers carry 8-year-old survivor Yigit Cakmak from the site of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 8. It was more than 50 hours after the earthquake struck. The boy was passed from rescuer to rescuer until he was finally in the arms of his mother who was waiting at the site.
People work at the site of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras on February 8.
Volunteers distribute aid to people in Antakya on February 8.
A firefighter works at the Turkish port of Iskenderun, where a fire broke out in the aftermath of the quake.
Mahmut Salman, 16, is rescued in Hatay on February 8.
A person walks among tents in Kahramanmaras on February 8.
The foot of a dead child is seen under a destroyed building in Kahramanmaras on February 8.
A firefighter searches for people in the rubble of a destroyed building in Gaziantep on February 8.
Search-and-rescue teams carry 2-year-old Vafe Sabha, who was pulled from rubble along with her mother in Hatay on February 8.
Volunteers share an emotional moment as they take part in a rescue operation in Hatay on February 8.
Search-and-rescue efforts continue in Hatay on February 7.
Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, who died in Kahramanmaras.
Smoke billows from the port in Iskenderun as emergency workers continue rescue efforts on February 7.
Two people embrace near the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay on February 7.
Emergency workers search for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey, on February 7.
A baby girl who was reportedly rescued from the rubble of her family's home receives treatment at a hospital in Afrin, Syria, on February 7. Her umbilical cord was still attached to her mother when she was found, a relative told Agence France-Presse. Her mother is believed to have died after giving birth.
People in the Syrian village of Hajji Iskandar mourn over the bodies of a family and close neighbors who were killed in the quake.
People wait for news of their loved ones, who were believed to be trapped under a collapsed building in Hatay on February 7.
Destruction is seen in Hatay's city center on February 7.
Police carry a child who was rescued from rubble in Hatay on February 7.
A man reacts in Jandaris on February 7.
Search-and-rescue efforts continue through cold weather conditions in Malatya, Turkey, on February 7.
A woman mourns for a dead relative in Turkey's Hatay province on February 7.
People try to identify the bodies of victims outside a hospital in Aleppo on February 6.
A rescue team works at a collapsed building in Osmaniye, Turkey, on February 6.
A child looks out from a bus where people were sleeping in Antakya on February 6.
People gather around a bonfire in Kahramanmaras.
Search-and-rescue personnel work at a collapsed building in Malatya on February 6.
Residents rescue an injured girl from the rubble of a collapsed building in Jandaris on February 6.
Rescuers work in Antakya on February 6.
A man weeps as he carries the body of his infant son who was killed in Jandaris.
This aerial photo shows damage in Hatay on February 6.
A fire burns near overturned containers in Hatay.
People wait as rescue operations take place in Diyarbakir on February 6.
People search a destroyed building in Adana on February 6.
This aerial photo shows a damaged building in Adana.
Quake victims are treated in the emergency ward of the Bab al-Hawa hospital in Syria's Idlib province.
A person climbs through the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay.
A man reacts as people search for survivors in Diyarbakir.
A person is rescued from a destroyed building in Gaziantep.
Residents search through collapsed buildings in the Syrian village of Besnia.
A building is destroyed in Adana.
A woman reacts as rescuers search for survivors in Adana.
Civilians and members of the Syria Civil Defense try to save people trapped beneath a destroyed building in Idlib.
The quake damaged Turkey's Gaziantep Castle.
Search-and-rescue efforts continue at the site of a destroyed building in Diyarbakir.
A cat is tended to after being rescued from the rubble in Diyarbakir.
Emergency workers rescue a child from a collapsed building in Diyarbakir.
People work through the rubble of a collapsed building in Diyarbakir.
People search for survivors in Diyarbakir.
Members of the Syria Civil Defense, aka the White Helmets, retrieve an injured man from the rubble of a collapsed building in Azaz, Syria.
People search a destroyed building in Diyarbakir.
People look on at the site of a destroyed building in Adana.
People search under the rubble of a building that collapsed in Azmarin, Syria.
People warm themselves outside of earthquake-affected areas in Aleppo on February 6.
The historic Yeni Mosque is damaged in Malatya.
People search through rubble at a destroyed building in Diyarbakir.
In photos: Deadly quake strikes Turkey and Syria
Major aftershocks have continued to affect the region: a magnitude 6.3 aftershock struck Turkey’s southern Hatay province, near the Syrian border, on Monday, and 90 aftershocks followed, the largest of which was recorded at 5.8.
Jonny Hallam, Yusuf Gezer, Isil Sariyuce, Eyad Kourdi, Jomana Karadsheh, Celine Alkhaldi and Kareem Khadder,
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