Best footballers' cars 2018
With top football players’ salaries now venturing past half a million a week, we look at what cars best suit their high-flying lifestyle
10. Mercedes-AMG GT
The old Mercedes SLS AMG was a big hit with footballers thanks to its retro looks and thunderous V8. Now though, the Mercedes-AMG GT has taken over as the 3-pointed star’s performance flagship and it should hold similar footballer appeal.
The standard car offers 456bhp but the GT-S goes all out with 503bhp from the same 4.0-litre V8 enabling a 0-60mph time of 3.8s and a 198mph top speed. The AMG GT offers classic front-engined coupe proportions with a long sculpted bonnet and squat, powerful rear. It looks great and for footballers with less elaborate hairdos, there’s a roadster version too.
The cabin is absolutely gorgeous with retro 50s inspired design touches mixed with modern infotainment tech. Customers can choose from a range of carbon, black or chrome exterior detailing packages but even as standard, the AMG GT is a stunning sight.
9. Porsche Panamera Turbo
The Porsche Panamera has come a long way since its inception in 2009, with the latest model offering owners a healthy portion of practicality to accompany the helping of performance.
The Porsche Panamera Turbo however, comes with an extra serving of performance thanks mostly to the 542bhp 4.0 litre twin turbo V8 hidden underneath its swooping bonnet. The V8 will catapult the 2,000kg German saloon down the road at an incredible level of pace. After 3.6 seconds you would be at 62mph, and provided there is enough space on your Cheshire mansion's driveway, you would eventually hit 190mph.
But now for the practicality. It has air ride suspension and adaptive dampers to smooth out the bumps, and a boot capacity of 495-litres so packing for a weekend away in the alpes is not a problem. Prices start at just above £115,000, sadly the likes of Neymar and Messi will only be able to buy five a week.
8. Bentley Bentayga
The Range Rover used to have the top end of the luxury SUV market pretty much to itself but these days there’s an ever expanding list of rivals. Bentley’s Bentayga does the classily imperious thing for which the Range Rover is famous particularly well and starting from a mere £160,000 it’s well within the reach of most footballers.
The Bentayga relies on a 6.0-litre W12 engine to shift it’s 2,440kg bulk about the place. With 600bhp and 900Nm from just 1,350rpm, shift it does. 0-60mph takes only 4.1 seconds and the giant SUV’s cornering poise is that of a car half its size.
The Bentayga cabin adopts more of a sports car feel than the airy ambience of a Range Rover. It’s also similar to the layout found in other large VW Group SUV products like the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. The difference is that Bentley has piled-on its usual high quality finishes and personalisation options to emphasise its premium nature. The options list has plenty of opportunity to send the price north of £200,000.
