Top Premiership footballers make ridiculously large amounts of money. They are not thought to be over-endowed with brains, and attract much envy and ridicule. But if the choice of cars by Premiership champions Chelsea’s players is anything to go by, their heads are well screwed on, with top quality much in demand. Surprisingly, a kind of restraint is also apparent. I would have expected a few in-yer face Rolls Royces, look-at-me Mercedes Maybachs and pink Cadillacs.
Men’s Magazine GQ staked out the player’s car park at Stamford Bridge and found the top 10 cars were –
1) Mercedes S 500 Limousine – Manager Jose Mourinho and striker Eidur Gudjohnsen – priced at a surprisingly modest £66,630. The S class Mercedes is the ultimate in understated quality.
2) Porsche Cayenne Turbo – occasional striker Mateja Kezman and little-used midfielder Scott Parker – price - £70,898. The Cayenne 4X4 is really a VW Touareg in disguise but probably costs twice as much. They are both made at the same factory in Germany; feel better?
3) Aston Martin DB9 Vantage – mid-field dynamo and man-about-town Frank Lampard, and defender Glen Johnson - £112,000. Jeremy Clarkson’s favourite car.
4) Mercedes McLaren SLR – mid-field lynchpin Claude Makelele and defender William Gallas - £313,645. Does 207 mph; its carbon fibre body and chassis is about 50 per cent lighter than conventional steel, but absorbs 4 to 5 times more energy in an accident. Good news for the fans if they crash.
5) Bentley Continental GT Coupe – defensive rock John Terry - £118,750. Bentley has just unveiled a bigger, 4-door version, called the Flying Spur.
6) Ferrari F430 – mid-fielder Joe Cole – 133,200. Is there a more beautiful car in the world? Good choice, Joe.
7) Mercedes 500 SL AMG – the striker that can’t score, Didier Drogba - £95,700. AMG stands for Aufrecht and Melcher from Grossapach (in Germany). AMG makes frightenly fast cars go faster. Unfortunately, Drogba has all the speed he needs but is short on skill.
8) BMW 645 – fleet-footed winger Arjen Robben – a mere £55,900. Robben was injured for most the season. Maybe he will upgrade his car if he plays more games.
9) Lexus RX300 – Europe’s best goalie Petr Cech - £38,945. Great 4x4 which oozes quality, but too sensible for a footballer. A Cadillac Escalade would be more appropriate.
10) Ford Mustang – Irish winger Damien Duff - £45,000. Fabulous American sports car with a V8 engine. To keep up with his colleagues Duff must spend much more. How about a Porsche Carrera GT 5.7 litre V10 for £321,093?
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