Curving It In: What Drives Footballers?

It has been over a week since the 2014 FIFA World Cup started and the excitement is infectitious. So we, at NDTV Auto, thought we'll indulge you football worshipping folks, but 'how' was the question. I remembered the one time I saw a football match to humour a friend, only to be mesmerized by how passionate people can get about a sport. And then it hit me; cars are to some/us, what football is to so many people across the globe, so why not write about something that will cater to both? One thing led to another, and here we are, with a list of the top ten footballers in the world and the cars they drive.

Don't get me wrong, but turns out, between all that training and dating beautiful women, footballers also manage to find the time to buy the fanciest cars out there. And to think that the world believes that women are better at multi-tasking than men. Sigh!

However, since these Lords of football own so many cars, we decided to do a two part series with 5 players listed in each. So here's the first installment of (mostly fancy) cars these superstars like to get around in.

1. Lionel Messi: Deemed the successor to Diego Maradona, it is a given that Lionel Messi has amassed enough wealth over all these years. Latest estimates claim that he earns $44- 45 million annually. Despite all that money in the bank, Messi's car collection affords the adjective 'classy' and not flashy. With a total of 8 cars in his name, his garage is home to the choicest of cars. Here's the complete list:

a. Ferrari F430 Spider

b. Maserati GranTurismo S

c. Dodge Charger SRT8

d. Audi Q7

e. Audi R8 Spyder

f. Lexus 4x4

g. Toyota Prius

h. Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale

So what's the net worth of his car collection, you ask? Well, that will be $1,193,101.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo: In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history when he joined Real Madrid. With that title and fame, came along £80 million, an amount that has only grown multifold since then. Now what do you with all that money at your disposal? Indulge your most cherished dreams, perhaps? That's exactly what Ronaldo did; he bought cars. Rather 'collecting' cars seems to be a more appropriate way to describe how CR7 likes to spend his hard-earned moolah.

It is said that he isn't fond of sticking to one car for too long, much like teenagers and their significant others these days, hence the large number of cars in his garage. Though we might not be sure of his commitment issues with cars, we are sure that his garage houses 19 cars, including the likes of the three Germans, Bentley, Porsche, and Ferrari among others. He is also rumoured to have bought the Koenigsegg CCX, McLaren MP4-12C High Sport, other than placing an order for a blue Ferrari LaFerrari.

The collective worth of the cars Ronaldo owns is estimated to be a whopping $4,912,000. Just so you know, Ronaldo crashed his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano into a tunnel wall in 2009. That said, here's a detailed list of the cars he owns, or owned at one point:

a. BMW M6

b. Bentley Continental GTC

c. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupe

d. Porsche Cayenne

e. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

f. Audi Q7

g. Ferrari F430

h. Porsche 911 Carrera 2S Cabriolet

i. Bentley GT Speed

j. Audi R8

k. Audi RS6

l. Maserati GranCabrio

m. Ferrari 599 GTO

n. Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4

o. Porsche Cayenne Turbo

p. Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI

q. Bugatti Veyron

r. Aston Martin DB9

s. Rolls-Royce Phantom

3. Neymar: The youngest footballer on our list is Neymar da Silva Santos Junior. The 22 year-old, who earns $7 million annually, has $20.5 million worth of earnings in the bank already. What do you think a young man with a ridiculous amount of money will do, other than have women swooning all over him?

I would be so wrong if I were to use the adjective 'fancy' to describe his choice of transport, for it is much more than that; it is extravagant. Neymar owns three cars in addition to a, wait, HELICOPTER and a yacht worth $9 million.

Anyway, he owns a Volvo XC60, a Porsche Panamera and an Audi R8 GT.

He is said to have bought the XC60 when he got his driving license. The estimated sum of the cost of his cars figures out to be $454,000 sans the cost of the helicopter and the yacht.

4. Gareth Bale: I can go on and on, about how Gareth Bale is one of the richest footballers in the world, much like everybody else on this list.

So I will cut to the chase; he is rich and he nurses two passions, out of which one is cars. His transfer to Real Madrid in September, 2013, guaranteed the presence of at least one Audi in his garage, an Audi R8 for this Welsh footballer. Bale also owns a Land Rover Range Rover and a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

The total cost of his collection is estimated to be $258,450.

5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: With a net worth of $140 million, there is little doubt that Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic likes to go out shopping every now and then. And more often than not, his shopping destination is a car dealership.

Though his collection isn't half as extensive as that of Ronaldo, he does seem to be in a budding relationship with cars. He owns the following:

a. Ferrari Enzo

b. Lamborghini Gallardo

c. Maserati Gran Turismo

d. Audi S8

e. Volvo C30 T5

f. Audi RS6 Avant C7

g. Porsche 918 Spyder

The latest addition to the list is the Porsche 918 Spyder, which Ibrahimovic bought in May, 2014. The collective worth of the 7 cars owned by the Swedish footballer is $2,095,833.