Chelsea
star Kai Havertz will auction off 100 pairs of specially-designed football
boots as part of his effort to raise funds for the victims of Germany's
devastating floods.
At least 180 people died in last month's floods, which mainly affected
Nord-Rhein Westfalen, the area including the city of Aachen, where Havertz
was born.
The 22-year-old is also making a donation of around £175,000 on top of the
boot auction to support Red Cross Germany - he will also wear a pair of the
boots in the Super Sunday clash with Arsenal.
The boots - which were designed by Havertz - sport the green, white and red
colours of Nord-Rhein Westfalen's flag.
"We just want to raise money with it, so that people can buy the shoes, and
the boot is maybe a symbol of my support and my respect to people who lost
everything," Havertz said.
"My family lives in the area and we know that there are so many homeless
people. They lost everything and they don't have a place to sleep, or there
are houses without electricity and people that don't have food or clothes."
Havertz also admitted the events had made him think more about climate
change and what his generation might be able to do to help the cause.
"I'm a guy who loves nature and who loves animals," he added. "I want to
learn much about climate change in the next couple of years, because I think
we are humans and we can change it."
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