Sadio Mané, the Senegalese striker who won the African Footballer of the Year award in 2022 and plays for the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, made headlines when he said, “Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches, or two planes? What will these objects do for me and for the world?”
Mané clarified that he donates his wealth to organizations that support the underprivileged in Senegal and other parts of Africa. “I built schools, a stadium, we provide clothes, shoes, food for people who are in extreme poverty,” said Sadio Mané. “I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.”
Let’s face it, Mané is a rare find. Most soccer-players belong to the group of brash personalities that love outshining regular people with their car collections, private jets, enormous villas and expensive designer outfits. Most of the time when a soccer player ends in the news, it is because of scandal or the outrageous way they spend their earnings. And for these cocky personalities, nothing communicates wealth, success, and performance better than Ferrari cars, so read further to find out which professional soccer players love the Prancing Horse.
David Beckham Loves His Ferrari Cars
David Beckham is one of the most famous soccer players of his generation. He managed to transform himself into a brand and over the years, he surprised fans with his haircuts, fashion and lifestyle choices, and car collection. For obvious reasons, this former Real Madrid superstar is also a Ferrari collector. In the past, fans have seen Beckham drive a 1998 Ferrari 550 Maranello, which was a gift from his wife, Victoria Beckham, a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, which Beckham purchased when Victoria gave birth to their daughter, Harper, and a Ferrari 360 Spider.
John Terry Is A Real Ferrari Fan
Chelsea's legend and UEFA Club Defender of the Year, John Terry, is another huge Ferrari fan. His car collection is as impressive as his performance on the field. According to The Sun, Terry “has fulfilled his childhood dream by owning a garage full of Ferraris.” The former Chelsea and Aston Villa player is the lucky owner of a Ferrari Enzo, which he purchased in 2013. Ferrari built 400 units of this incredible supercar in 2002, and each of them ended up with a Ferrari super-fan. One of the standout qualities of this model was that it could reach the top speed of 221 miles per hour.
“I used to go to a showroom in Surrey, they had Enzos, and the Enzo had been my dream car growing up but could never afford it,” said John Terry. “It’s one of those things on the bucket list. Unfortunately, they were a lot cheaper back then as well. Wish I’d have bought one back then. I just loved the look and the limited availability of stuff like the Enzo. Not many on the road, one gets crashed per year as well, so they’re going down.”
Terry also pointed out that this car is a great investment that he probably wants to pass down to his kids one day. “It was an investment as well for the sake of the kids and stuff like that, but just loved to look at the Enzo and the classic cars. I love it,” Terry added.
John Terry also owns a 275 GTB, purchased from the car dealer, Tom Hartley Jr, “who has helped him build his Ferrari collection over the years,” says The Sun. Additionally, Terry has in his collection a Ferrari 458 Spider and a Ferrari Testarossa.
Cristiano Ronaldo Likes Ferraris So Much He Has More Than One
Cristiano Ronaldo is another Ferrari super-fan. The Portuguese soccer player caused a stir in 2021 when the news broke that he skipped training with Juventus to travel to Ferrari’s factory by helicopter and purchase a $1.95 million supercar, the Ferrari Monza SP1. This automobile came equipped with a 810 cubic inch V12, that helped the vehicle accelerate from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds and 0 to 124 miles per hour in 7.9 seconds. The Insider reports that this was Ronaldo’s fifth Ferrari purchase. The Portuguese soccer player also owns a Ferrari F12 TDF, a Ferrari 599 GTO, a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, and a Ferrari F430.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Gifts Himself Ferraris For His Birthdays
Most people can only dream of having a birthday tradition like Zlatan Ibrahimovic does. The former Swedish professional soccer player loves to buy a new Ferrari for himself on his special day. And for his 41st birthday, he purchased not one but two Ferrari cars, a white Daytona SP3 and a red 812 Competizione A, according to Autoevolution. Ferrari built only 599 units of both vehicles, and the Italian luxury automaker equipped them with 6.5-liter V12 engines.
While the Daytona SP3 gets a rating of 828 horsepower and a maximum torque of 514 lb-ft, the 812 Competizione A will deliver 819 horsepower and a maximum torque of 510 lb-ft. Ibrahimovic also owns a Ferrari Monza SP2, purchased for his 38th birthday, a Ferrari SF90 Spider, a Ferrari F430 Spider, and a Ferrari SF90 Stradale, acquired for his 40th birthday.
Sources: Al Jazeera, AS, The Richest, Insider, The Sun, Supercars, Autoevolution and Business Insider.