Although footballers and fast cars tend to go hand in hand, it’s not always the case. For example, it was noted by commentators during a recent Euro 2020 match that one Slovakian footballer can still be found taking the bus home from work – and he’s not alone. A 19-year-old Iker Casillas famously had to catch public transport to training and matches as he had not yet passed his driving test, while Christian Gross once famously arrived at Tottenham brandishing his tube ticket. Thierry Henry used a New York train to travel to his Red Bulls debut, reportedly saying “It was the quickest way to come to the game. It was quite an experience. It was cool.” And let’s not forget to mention Moritz Volz, who reportedly used to cycle to matches at Fulham, sometimes on a fold-up bike.
But, right now we are in the heart of Euros season, and all eyes are on Europe’s greatest players (and teams). So let’s take a look at how some of the best of the best like to ride.
Ronaldo’s racing rides
Although best known for his incredible ability to get the ball into the back of the net in superb style, off the pitch, Golden Boot contender Ronaldo is also well known for something else – his luxury car collection. In 2017, his garage was reported to contain no less than 19 supercars, the favourite of which was supposedly a Bugatti Chiron. Although a new set of tyres was originally reported to cost over $30,000, this is not the case – but was true for its predecessor, the Veyron, which required the incredibly expensive, specially designed Michelin Pilot Sport 2s. It is rumoured that at full throttle on the race track, it is possible to run this beast’s tyres to bold in just eight minutes.
Luckily for Ronaldo, the Chiron uses a standard rim geometry. Good to know that he will be able to keep a bit more cash in his pocket!
Lewandowski’s luxury lot
When he’s not representing the Polish national team, legendary striker Robert Lewandowski plays for Bayern Munich – with a salary that has allowed him to amass quite the collection of luxury cars. His car collection reportedly includes a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Porsche 911 Speedster, Maserati GranTurismo Sport, Audi RS6, and two Bentley Continentals.
In 2016, Lewandowski revealed that he was interested in becoming a motorsport star after football retirement. “Motorsport has always been very interesting to me. The problem is that you have to be 100 per cent committed to motorsport. And that is associated with more sacrifices, and we’ll see.”
Keeping it cool with Kevin De Bruyne
Belgium and Manchester City attacking midfielder De Bruyne has been getting plenty of attention over the course of this year’s tournament – and his car gets plenty too. He is frequently seen getting around in his Mercedes G-Class G63 AMG, a massive premium SUV. His G63 AMG version of this footballers’ favourite pumps out 537bhp from its 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine.
De Bruyne’s not the only Premier League football to get around in this outlandish luxury SUV either – former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil drives one too.
Raheem’s Runabout
After joining Manchester City from Liverpool during the summer of 2015, Sterling was often seen travelling to training in a car that can reasonably be considered modest by the standards set by Premier League footballers. The English winger earned a reputation for getting around in a Smart Fortwo city car, and although Raheem picked the less common Grandstyle Edition, it was still only valued at about £12,000.
Today, his fleet of cars go as high as £500k in value – that’ll be his Bentley GTX 700-4, a car that is also driven by Manchester City manager Guardiola.
Hazard’s head-turners
Belgium and Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard’s skills get plenty of attention on the pitch, but off the pitch, it’s what he drives that tends to turn heads. He once famously turned up to training in a luxurious £500,000 Lamborghini Aventador. He made himself popular among the Real Madrid faithful by opting for a simple white paint job for the car, similar to the club’s colours. The Aventador can reach 100 km/hr from a standing start in just 2.8 seconds and the naturally aspirated V12 engine can batter out 770 CV. Throughout the course of his career, Hazard has also been spotted in a number of impressive vehicles including a Mercedes-Benz AMG GTR, Audi R8 V10, BMW X6, Audi RS4 Avant, Range Rover, Aston Martin Vanquish and Mercedes C Class (£32,260).
The grand total of the Eden Hazard car collection adds up to an estimated £1.1m.
With the widest range of performance, mid-range and budget tyres in stock at the best possible prices, we’ve got your tyre needs covered whatever you drive. Call now on 01 860 20 20 to find your nearest location.
