Football matches last 90 minutes, but not always with a German car
By UDI ETZION/WALLA!Published: JUNE 17, 2024 10:39(photo credit: AUDI)
The footballer fined € 50,000 for using his sports car instead of the sponsor's. The star switching between his Lamborghini and Mini, and how many Bugattis Ronaldo has.
Last December, a significant event occurred in German football. It wasn’t a high-profile transfer or a historic victory. Bayern Munich officials admitted they were in advanced negotiations with BMW to replace Audi as their sponsor. Audi became Bayern’s sponsor in 2002 and in 2010 even acquired 8.33% of the club for € 90M. Additionally, they pay € 30M annually so the team’s stars drive and are photographed with their cars—a situation very embarrassing for BMW, whose headquarters and main factory are located in Munich. The change is expected at the end of 2025 and follows another conquest by BMW, this time on the grass in Madrid, when they ousted Audi from the players' parking lot in 2022. BMW is also the sponsor of Italian club Milan.
"Football is a game of 90 minutes, and in the end, Germany always wins," once said British former player Gary Lineker in frustration, in a statement that entered the pantheon. But in the players' parking lots, despite their dominance in the luxury market, the Germans don’t always win. For players earning millions of euros per season, German luxury cars are often boring and lack the uniqueness offered by smaller luxury car manufacturers. BMW and Audi are willing to pour millions to get some footballers' glory, but they often prefer foreign cars, even when they are German stars.
For the next three weeks, they will travel on the team bus, but these are just some of the interesting cars waiting for the Euro 2024 players in their home garages.
(credit: AUDI)
Audi
For Thomas Muller from Bayern, it's not surprising that he has a Q5 and also an S5. For Serge Gnabry, he has an R8, but this year both of them drive an Audi e-tron GT company car, just like Daniel Perez. Robert Lewandowski has a family Q7 and also an RS7 for the autobahn. Joshua Kimmich has an A5 and a Q7. Leroy Sane has an A8, like senior officials of Israel, just without bulletproofing. Even Toni Kroos has an SQ7, even though he plays for Real Madrid.Advertisement
Cristiano Ronaldo with his new car: The Bugatti Chiron with CR7 on the interior pic.twitter.com/sAtFRetCZI
The footballer fined € 50,000 for using his sports car instead of the sponsor's. The star switching between his Lamborghini and Mini, and how many Bugattis Ronaldo has.
Bugatti
One of the biggest names in the automotive industry, which Volkswagen brought up from oblivion with an investment of billions that has never been returned, is also the automotive fantasy of some Euro stars. For Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, he has the most expensive car collection among active players, including, among others, a Bugatti Chiron, Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse, and Bugatti Centodieci, alone worth about € 10M: only 10 were made, commemorating the company's 110th anniversary, with the same 16-cylinder engine associated with it, in a version of 1,600 horsepower and 380 km/h. Ronaldo even posed once for an ad for his Nike sneakers as he beat a Bugatti Veyron in a race. Bugattis can also be found in the parking lots of Karim Benzema, who will be absent this time from the French national team, and in that of Andres Iniesta, who retired from the Spanish national team.
With Raheem Sterling making the switch from Manchester City to Chelsea, the England international has brought some of his supercars to Stamford Bridge! Check it out! ➡️ https://t.co/A4koNcuwStpic.twitter.com/c2vpr7kTwL
Natalie, another popular manufacturer among senior British players, did not return to the country for nothing with Eyal Berkovich with Bentley Continental, and was forced by the Transportation Ministry to return her abroad after half a year, as the manufacturer did not have an importer and garage in the country. Nowadays, this would not have happened, since the regular import of the company's models by Orchid Sports Cars began. Raheem Sterling, a player for the English national team and Chelsea, has a Continental GT and the prestigious crossover model no less, the Bentayga. Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich and the German national team also has an open Continental.
Daily Mail EXCLUSIVE: Raheem Sterling owns a WHITE Mercedes despite playing for BLUE club! pic.twitter.com/dtAmw1zOTX
The sporty engine provided by the AMG division for Mercedes models, with 475-585 horsepower, can be found in several popular models among senior footballers. Joshua Kimmich has one in his off-road vehicle, G63, and a nearly identical car can also be found with Ronaldo. Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich and the German national team has a Mercedes C63 Coupé, and Raheem Sterling has a G-Class. Ngolo Kante, who plays for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia and the French national team, has a relatively modest Mercedes C63. Until four years ago, he used to drive a used Mini Cooper.
Kingsley Coman (France, Bayern) was fined € 50,000 in 2020 when he arrived at his team's training with his white McLaren S570 (above) instead of the Audi provided by the team, thus violating the sponsor's exposure.
Coman apologized and explained that the Audi was involved in an accident and suffered damages to the mirror and wing. His explanation sounded credible, as last year he scratched the McLaren Coupe, and immediately replaced it with the Spider version. Ronaldo has a McLaren Senna, while Rashford has a McLaren 765 Longtail.
Italian national team player Adana Demirspor, Mario Balotelli, owned a collection of sports cars including Ferraris, which he had to sell after being banned due to accidents he was involved in. However, he kept his customized Nissan GTR Nismo, with 1,400 horsepower, and an Audi RSQ8. Ronaldo also has a 599 GTO and Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich) has an F8. Kylian Mbappe, the French star and Real Madrid player, has a Ferrari 488 Pista and SF90 Stradale.
Jesse Lingard was accused of 'lacking personality' by Mourinho in a recent interview Marcus Rashford, who has endured an inconsistent season, arrives in his Range Rover pic.twitter.com/vok0MC6lF7
The luxury models of Land Rover are very popular among Premier League players, like Marcus Rashford who owns a Range Rover Autobiography edition (in the picture), and also among British players playing abroad, like Harry Kane from Bayern who also owns an identical Range Rover, alongside the Jaguar F-Pace. British Jesse Lingard also has a Range Rover Sport, and so does Kylian Mbappe, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, and Leroy Sane. (credit: Shahaf Shai)
Rolls Royce
Ronaldo has in his collection the most luxurious SUV in the world, the Rolls Royce Cullinan, alongside a rare and open-top Phantom Drophead. Marcus Rashford has a Rolls Royce Cullinan in a Blue Shadow edition.
Kyle Walker from the England national team and Manchester City has a Hurricane, but also a Mini Minor Classic that he is often seen driving fast to practice. Actually, fast is not the right word here. Mobile maybe. Mario Balotelli also had a Lamborghini that he sold along with his Ferraris.
