UEFA Champions League final ball sells for £24,000 in Wellingborough

The ball was used at the start of the game between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris on 28 May

The ball used to kick-off the UEFA Champions League final 2022 has been sold for £24,000 to benefit a refugee charity.

It was used to start the game when Liverpool FC lost 1-0 to Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris on 28 May.

The sale, organised by auctioneer Graham Budd, took place in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, to coincide with World Refugee Day.

The proceeds will go to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

The charity helps protect people forced to flee their homes due to conflict and persecution.

The ball was used for the kick-off and once out of play it was collected up by a ball boy and given to the venue match director, who signed a certificate of authenticity

The final was played in Paris after St Petersburg in Russia was stripped of the match following the nation's invasion of Ukraine and the ball features a panel with the letters мир - which can be translated to peace in Russian and Ukrainian - above the word in English.

It represents a message of "peace, belonging, and hope" passed from player to player during the match, the auctioneer said, and the "true value and message of the ball are priceless".

Auction house chairman Graham Budd said: "To be involved in the sale of such an iconic piece of sporting history is a great honour."

The ball was used for the kick-off and once kicked out of play and replaced to ensure a swifter restart, it was collected by a ball boy and given to the venue match director, who signed a certificate of authenticity.

The ball features a panel with the letters мир - which can be translated to peace in Russian and Ukrainian - above the word in English

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