Online used car dealership Carspring have researched the vehicles driven by more than 250 of the world’s leading football players. With this information, along with the estimated salaries of each player, the online showroom were able to calculate how many minutes of game time each athlete would have to play in order to pay off the value of their vehicle. In addition to this, the study shows an interesting correlation between the vehicle type driven and the player’s position on the field.
“At Carspring the one thing we love as much as cars is football. The fact players drive amazing cars was to be expected; nevertheless, it is very interesting that there are correlations between their position in the pitch and the type of car they drive”, said Carspring’s Co-founder Maximilian Vollenbroich.
- Jesus Navas might be a lightning-fast winger, but it’s fair to say he doesn’t have the car to match. His Nissan Micra surely won’t have the pace with the rest of the footballer’s cars, but due to his Micra’s excellent reliability record, at least his car will stay injury-free. He could pay for his Nissan Micra in just 11 minutes of game play
- Chelsea’s John Terry owns the most expensive car, valued at £2 million
- Midfielders and forwards are more likely to own sports cars than any other vehicle type
- The world’s most expensive goalkeeper certainly doesn’t like to flash his cash. At least not when it comes to his car. Despite Gigi’s massive presence, he’s kept things compact with his favourite little Fiat. It’s hard to imagine he’d even fit behind the wheel, but he clearly loves to keep things Italian.
- Twitter warrior, Joey Barton has a rather unexpected ride. His eco-friendly Toyota Prius is not the car you’d expect from such a player.
- Defenders and goalkeepers are more likely to own SUVs than any other vehicle type
- Cristiano Ronaldo owns the fastest car in the world – also confirmed he will be the first Footballer to own a Bugatti Chiron.
The five players who could pay for their car in the quickest time are as follows:
- Jesus Navas – Manchester City – Nissan Micra – 11.17 minutes
- Carlos Tevez – Shanghai Shenhua – Porsche Panamera Turbo S – 11.35 minutes
- N’Golo Kante – Chelsea – Mini Cooper SD – 12.58 minutes
- Fernando Llorente – Swansea City – Fiat Punto – 13.52 minutes
- Axel Witsel – Tianjin Quanjian F.C – Cadillac Escalade – 15.31 minutes
The five players with the most expensive cars are as follows:
- John Terry – Chelsea – Ferrari 275 GTB – £2,000,000
- Christiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse – £1,750,000
- Karim Benzema – Real Madrid – Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang – £1,500,000
- Lassana Diarra – Al-Jazira – Bugatti Veyron – £1,200,000
- Andres Iniesta – FC Barcelona – Bugatti Veyron – £1,200,000
In addition to the results above, it’s interesting to note that the position in which an athlete plays appears to have an effect on the type of vehicle they drive. Generally, players who play in a defensive position on the pitch are more likely to own an SUV, while those up-front own the flashier, sports cars.
Here are some of our North East favourites:
- Sunderland defender John O’Shea cruises the North East in a BMW M6 Gran Coupe
- Boro skipper Grant Leadbitter drives a BMW M6
- Sunderland favourite Jermain Defoe boasts a Bentley Continental GT
- Sunderland’s Jack Rodwell drives a Range Rover Sport
- Uruguayan international and Middlesbrough player Christian Stuani takes Teesside in his Mercedes-AMG GLS 63
- Wearside forward Fabio Borini drives a fabulous Ferrari 488 GTB
- Newcastle United’s Florian Thauvin drives owns a Porsche Panamera Turbo S
- Victor Anichebe cruises the North East in a Rolls Royce Phantom
