Chinese soccer fans worked up a sweat bidding for a bathrobe, a pillow case and bedding used by David Beckham during the British superstar’s weekend visit to Beijing.
A charity auction of items used by Beckham and his Real Madrid teammates raised 150 000 yuan (about $18 160), newspapers reported on Monday. Proceeds were to go to children of medical workers who died in China’s fight against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
Madrid beat an all-star Chinese team 4-0 in an exhibition match Saturday at the start of an Asian promotional tour.
The bathrobe and other items used by Beckham went for 2 800 yuan (about $340) at the auction on Sunday afternoon, just hours after the team left for Tokyo.
An auctioneer described them as ”still bearing the stink of Beckham’s sweat”, the Beijing Morning Post said.
The top price paid was for a soccer ball signed by Beckham, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and a dozen other Real Madrid stars, which went for 21 000 yuan (about $2 500), the Morning Post said.
Also on the block were autographed posters of the British idol, signed jerseys and the chance to spend the night in hotel rooms used by the team.
The game on Saturday night was the first major international sports event in China since the outbreak of Sars, which killed 349 people on the country’s mainland. – Sapa-AP