Footballers are not known for their subtlety when it comes to style choices and if they could drive around on a pair of trainers on wheels I am sure they would be as happy as a pig in shit. As evidence I would present the example of the Gold-Plated Cadillac Escolade of El Hadji Diouf, the hideous Bentley convertible belonging to Stephen Ireland and the all chrome Aston Martin of Jermaine Pennant but perhaps they are best left for another article. What we are looking at today are cars that are clearly not low-key but the owners have at least left matters of style and taste to designers rather than footballers.
Mario Balotelli – Ferrari 458
Mario Balotelli loves his cars and has recently taken ownership of a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta to add to his fleet of supercars.The Ferrari 458 is another Ferrari in his collection and is a popular addition to the driveways of the mega-rich footballer and Balotelli shares his passion with Mesut Ozil among others. The 458 was unveiled to the world at the Frankfurt Motor Show and was the replacement to the F430. The 458 was designed by the Pininfarina car design and coach company who have had a partnership with Ferrari since the 1950’s. The 458 can be ordered as a 2-seat Berlinetta or Spider and the rear mid-engined V8 can develop a top speed of 202mph which is dead handy on most European roads. The 458 was named “Car of the Year 2009 and “Supercar of the Year”. Top Gear named the 458 Speciale Supercar of the Year 2013.
A Ferrari 458 will set you back between £180,000 to £210,000.
Lionel Messi – Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale
Lionel Messi owns one of these limited production super sports cars that are based around the standard 2007 launched coupe but with some rather immense numbers added. Improved aerodynamics, less weight and more power make this machine very fast with a top speed listed as 188mph which for a sporty coupe is quite impressive. This is however at heart a coupe that pretends to be a proper sports car and as such is a comfortable drive first and a super sports car second.
You can pick up an MC Stradale for as little as £109,995.
Neymar – Porsche Panamera Turbo S
The Porsche Panamera is a practical four-door sedan luxury car with a large engine added and its name is derived like the Carrera line from the Carrera Panamericana race. In the case of the Turbo S the large engine is a 4.8-litre V8 twin turbo which is something of an improvement to the lesser 3.6 litre V6 of the standard models.
The 550 bhp of Neymar’s model has a listed max speed of 190mph and 3.8 sec 0-62mph, the top speed is rather academic unless you take the car on a Track Day. The Porsche Panamera Turbo S is a two-seater so loses the practicality and stretched appearance of the standard four-door. The Turbo S is the most powerful mass production Porsche on sale.
A Porsche Panamera Turbo S will set you back a trifling £122,623.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Lamborghini Aventador
A Lamborghini Aventador is a classic and glorious mid-engined supercar with killer styling and stats to match. The car is one of the last V12 supercars in production and the roadster and coupe versions deliver an eye-watering 690bhp and 217mph with a 2.9s 0-60mph.The Aventador looks like it could belong to a superhero with its theatrical and aggressive geometry, perhaps it could also transform into a killer robot at the touch of a button. Having those dreams or nightmares is going to set you back a fair bit I’m afraid…
The base price for the Aventador Roadster is in the region of £300,000.
Wayne Rooney – Range Rover Overfinch
Nothing wrong with a Range Rover, it’s no supercar of course in the sense of having scintillating acceleration or an outrageous top speed but then Rooney is of course a class-apart in the upper echelons of football aristocracy…Yes that’s a big load of tosh and the Range Rover has become an annoying and unwelcome fat tank that spreads itself unflatteringly over Britain’s streets, school-runs and car parks these days. There is no need for it except on farms pulling trailers full of pig swill. The Overfinch brand means you have paid £60k extra for nice cushions, a gun cabinet with matching tumblers and because you obviously wouldn’t be seen dead in the same Range Rover as seemingly half the population at the moment.
Expect to use your chrome-plated fork and dig out £145,000 for one.
Gareth Bale – Audi R8
The Audi R8 is another popular sports car as it marries the performance and handling of a supercar with the refined comforts and instruments of a saloon car and is considered comparable to a Porsche 911. The car went into production in 2007 and is available like most cars of this level as a coupe and roadster.
The three R8 versions range in price from around £90,000 to £130,000.
Alvaro Arbeloa - Morgan 3 Wheeler
The cheapest, most eccentric and arguably most madly-fun car on our list was driven into training at Real Madrid by Arbeloa. The Morgan, is English through-and-through and let’s face it no other country would consider developing and producing such a car which resembles a WW1 fighter cockpit on wheels. The fun contraption and looks like it belongs in the past and is powered by a 2.0Litre S&S two cylinder motorbike engine which is exposed on the front of the car with chrome exhausts running each side of the vehicle. The high-revving engine delivers just 80hp and claims a top speed of 115mph although by all accounts you would be mad to attempt it. The car is hugely impractical, a charming toy designed more than anything to make you and everyone around you smile and long may it continue.
A Morgan 3 Wheeler will set you back about £30,000.
Didier Drogba – Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
This 25-unit limited edition car went into production a year after the SLR itself was discontinued in 2010 and is a grand tourer class sports car developed jointly by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey. The Roadster features a supercharged V8 AMG power plant that generates 617 bhp and enables a top speed of 208 mph and 0-100 acceleration in 3.1 seconds.
The standard Roadster version of the SLR is no longer available but would have cost £350,000 but Drogba’s limited edition car would be significantly more.
Frank Lampard – Aston Martin DB9
The Aston Martin DB9 has been around since 2004 and is the successor of the DB7 and carries under its bonnet a 6.0L V12 Ford Duratec power plant. The Aston Martin is widely considered one of the most beautiful cars ever produced which goes some way to explain the cars longevity. Despite being a gand tourer the DB9 is no slouch and that V12 generates some 476 bhp and can deliver a 0-60 in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 183 mph.
The car is one of the cheaper luxury cars to own and could be yours for a paltry £132,000.
Di Maria - Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
The Corvette Stingray is a car with a lot of history, glitz and glamour being one of America’s most endearing sports cars with many generations from initial production in 1953. The Sting Ray model coupe didn’t arrive until 1963 and its recognisable shape has evolved into the car now owned by Manchester United new signing Angel Di Maria. The C7 has a 6.2 L V8 which generates 460 bhp a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds and a listed top speed of 195mph.
The Stingray is one of the cheapest sports cars available at a barely noticeable £33,500, another good move for Di Maria.
Source: DSG
