BEFORE To raise money to save rare pygmy hippos, Antonio Rudiger, a defender for Chelsea, is going to sell a signed shirt that he wore in a Real Madrid game.
The German, who is 31 years old, is already the official guardian of Toni, the pygmy hippo at the Berlin Zoo.
The center back, on the other hand, has teamed up with the zoo for a sale that will happen on the website Catawiki.
Toni the hippo’s first small football and a life-sized sculpture of Betty the zoo’s Indian rhinoceros are among the things for sale.
But the most interesting collectible might be the one that Real Madrid star Rudiger gave away.
This month, the two-time Champions League winner signed the shirt he wore when Real Madrid beat Osasuna 4-0.
The Pygmy Hippo Research Project in Sierra Leone’s Gola Rainforest National Park will get all the money raised. This project tries to protect pygmy hippos in their native environment.
According to Newsflash, Rudiger said, “The pygmy hippos’ home range in West Africa is in grave danger. It would be heartbreaking if these unique animals disappeared forever.”
“Little Toni and I are proud to be ambassadors for this species and its habitat. We work together to protect them.”
Supporting the conservation project in Sierra Leone through an auction is a great way to get involved and help protect pygmy hippos and many other species.
“That’s why I hope as many people as possible will join this initiative.”
It’s the most recent good deed Rudiger has done for others.
The man who used to play for Chelsea went back to Sierra Leone in 2022 to launch The Antonio Rudiger Foundation. His parents were born there.
Also in 2022, the German gave the money he made from playing in the World Cup to pay for surgeries that would change the lives of 11 children.
He won the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Europa League, the Uefa Super Cup, and the Club World Cup during his five years at Chelsea, where he played in 203 games.
Since then, he has won a LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey, the Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup, the Club World Cup, and two Uefa Super Cups with Real Madrid… all for free.