Bidding for signed Poppy shirts from the Premier League, EFL and Women’s Super League has sent the total raised so far for the Royal British Legion to a record three quarters of a million pounds.

Football fans around the world have been showing their support for the RBL’s annual Poppy Appeal by bidding more than £785,145 for match-worn shirts.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the front runner, with his two shirts proving more popular than any other player in the Premier League, making Manchester United the club with the highest value bids.

The current top ten shirts:

Cristiano Ronaldo            (Man Utd)          £36,941
Cristiano Ronaldo            (Man Utd)          £27,361

Mo Salah                          (Liverpool)         £9,843

Heung Min-Son               (Spurs)                £5,557

Marcus Rashford             (Man Utd)          £5,214

Harry Kane                       (Spurs)                £4,183
Edinson Cavani                (Man Utd)          £4,089
Harry Kane                       (Spurs)                £4,086

Vivianne Miediema        (Arsenal)            £4,061

Emile Smith-Rowe          (Arsenal)            £4,000

The current top ten clubs:

Man Utd (total shirt bids)                          £168,321

Tottenham                                                    £70,664

Chelsea                                                          £66,961
Liverpool                                                       £64,352
Arsenal                                                          £60,286
Wolves                                                           £26,615
Crystal Palace                                               £24,098

Brentford                                                      £18,863

Brighton & HA                                              £18,775
Burnley                                                          £16,834

The one Ronaldo wore when he scored against Spurs reached a remarkable total of £36,942 (https://bit.ly/3liLpjT) whilst his shirt from the derby clash with Manchester City went for £27,362 (https://bit.ly/3o1Y10k).

Mo Salah is currently the next most popular, with a winning bid of £9,843. And a special treble-winners shirt donated by David Beckham has raised more than £2,000.

Barclays FA Women’s Super League shirts are also attracting record bids, with Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema entering the top ten at £4,061. Teammate Leah Williamson also hit an incredible £3,495.

With just a few days left until the final hammer comes down, the Poppy Shirt auction has already reached a record amount. And there is still time to bid on shirts from Manchester City and Arsenal (men and women) before the auctions close next weekend.

Bids have come in from all around the world including Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, USA, Canada, UK, Malaysia, Croatia and Germany.

Thanks to Ronaldo, Manchester United are proving to be the most popular club in England for shirt fanatics with total bids in excess of £168,000 for their heroes’ shirts, but Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have also attracted a flurry of bids from all over the world.

In a show of their support for the RBL’s Poppy Appeal, players wore special-edition shirts embroidered with a poppy in matches ahead of Remembrance weekend. The match-worn shirts have since been signed and made available to purchase in an auction, with all proceeds going to the RBL.

Ben France, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the RBL, said: “The Royal British Legion is proud to be partnering with The Premier League and the English Football League for our centenary Poppy Appeal in 2021.

“Whilst we love watching the excitement of the auctions, there is a serious message behind it all. After Covid-19 forced the RBL to cancel all face-to-face fundraising for the first time in its history last year, the auctions have taken on an added significance. The public can bid for a shirt and make a real difference to the lives of the Armed Forces community who have given so much for their country.

“We are extremely grateful for the record-breaking support that the football community has shown for the Poppy Appeal every year. The RBL’s work is entirely dependent on the public’s generous support, and this year we need that support more than ever, so we can ensure that those who have served and sacrificed on our behalf are looked after. Every poppy counts.”