In recent months, there has hardly been a controversial discussion about anything other than the World Cup bonuses. The 26 squad members of the DFB team receive 400,000 euros for winning the title and successively less depending on when they are eliminated. For the women it was just 60,000 euros at the European Championship. Unfair as some find. However, the example of Antonio Rüdiger shows that as a footballer who is already top-paid, you can also use the money for other purposes.
As a former Chelsea player and today’s Real star, Antonio Rüdiger has of course by no means had any money problems and has already bagged some big contracts. The maximum 400,000 euros that he can earn at the World Cup only make up a small percentage. Accordingly, the central defender has now decided that others need the money more urgently than he does himself. Rüdiger would like to use the money for his “second home” Sierra Leone. The mother of the German national player comes from the small and poor West African country, but before Antonio Rüdiger was born she fled to Germany with his father because of the civil war there.
Together with the aid organization “BigShoe”, the 29-year-old finances complex, expensive and life-changing treatments for children. The majority of patients are suffering from congenital clubfeet. According to the BILD report, disabilities in Sierra Leone are socially stigmatized, which is why bullying and exclusion often occur. Even in later years, those affected have little prospect of a normal life and decent jobs. The operations can correct malpositions, which means that after a few months of follow-up treatment, the patients can finally walk and lead a largely normal life. “It hurts to see the conditions under which the children in Seirra Leone grow up. Unfortunately, nothing can be taken for granted for these children,” Rüdiger explained his motives to BILD. The defender has also already sent numerous flocked Rüdiger – Real Madrid jerseys to bring joy to the children in difficult times.
As a prominent and well-paid soccer player, Rüdiger has the resources to make things happen. Helping in Sierra Leone is an affair of the heart for him. “In Germany I got the opportunities that many people in Sierra Leone, my mother’s home country, are denied. I am grateful for these opportunities and I really appreciate the privileged situation I find myself in. Helping here is one A matter of honor for me. I would like to implement many more projects in Sierra Leone with my family in the future,” promised Rüdiger. The “Antonio Rüdiger for Sierra Leone Foundation” is to be officially established as early as 2023. So you can be sure that the national player can make a difference with the World Cup bonuses and significantly improve the lives of some people. Now it is to be hoped that numerous DFB colleagues will follow his example and also want to help those in need. This is – as one must never forget – not a matter of course, but much more valuable than the fifth Ferrari in front of the garage.
This article was originally posted on 90min.com/de as Hats off to Antonio Rüdiger! DFB star donates World Cup bonus for a good cause published.
