CARSPRING, EUROPE’S first truly online used car dealership, has decided to investigate the value of vehicles driven by some of football’s biggest stars.
The findings show that there’s a huge range of models driven by the players, from the stereotype flashiest models to a reliable little runarounds guaranteed to ferry them from A to B.
As the study developed, Carspring investigated how many minutes of game time are necessary for a player to pay off their vehicle’s value, as well as if there is any connection between the position played in and the type of car owned.
The list below shows which players could pay off their vehicles quickest, with exactly 100 players of the 255 players analysed able to pay off their car within the time it would take to play one game:
1. Jesús Navas, Spain, Premier League, Manchester City, Nissan Micra
2. Carlos Tevez, Argentina, Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua, Porsche Panamera Turbo S
3. N’Golo Kanté, France, Premier League, Chelsea, Mini Cooper SD
4. Fernando Llorente, Spain, Premier League, Swansea City, Fiat Punto
5. Axel Witsel, Belgium, Chinese Super League, Tianjin Quanjian FC, Cadillac Escalade
6. Benedikt Höwedes, Germany, Bundesliga Schalke, 05 VW Beetle Cabrio
7. Andre Schürrle, Germany, Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund, Jeep Wrangler Sahara
8. Odion Ighalo, Nigeria, Chinese Super League, Changchun Yatai, BMW X6
9. Gianluigi Buffon, Italy, Serie A, Juventus Turin, Fiat 500
10. Graziano Pellè, Italy, Chinese Super League, Shandong Luneng, Morgan Aero 8
The study includes a star from every Premier League club, as well as a multitude of players from the most prolific leagues such as La Liga and the Bundesliga. Players who chose to guard their personal lives were left out of the study.
To find out what cars the players drive, Carspring scoured hundreds of newspapers, magazines, social media outlets and other sources of public information. To work out the amount of playing time and the number of games needed to pay for their car, the estimated annual salary of the player excluding bonuses was divided by the number of games played in their respective league.
With this, a salary per minute could be calculated. Carspring did not take into account the real time spent on the field, injuries, time on the bench or training.
THREE OF THE BEST:
N'Golo Kanté, Mini Cooper SD
The most energetic player in the Premier League goes about his business without any fuss. He loves working hard so much he was actually forced not to run to training. The little Frenchman’s car certainly reflects this. With it’s efficient engine and small size, it’ll run and run for years to come. Much like the man himself.
00:12:58 - H:M:S (hours, minutes and seconds) playing time to pay off car
Gianluigi Buffon, Fiat 500
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.
00:19:48 - H:M:S playing to pay off car
Lionel Messi, Ferrari F430 Spider
Lionel is arguably the world’s best player, and boy does he have a car to match. The Ferrari F430 Spider is as quick, as nimble, and as great to watch as the Argentinean maestro. Flair on the field, flair behind the wheel – It’s a world-class combination.
00:31:32 - H:M:S playing to pay off car
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