Forward well-heeled footie soldiers

Wayne Rooney: Holidays with the missus
A 24-hour party that Wayne Rooney and his wife Colleen hosted on a £40 million super yacht after their wedding seemed to set the tone for how much they’re willing to spend in leisure. Rooney and Colleen are known to love their luxurious little vacations, and have been spotted holidaying at places like Algarve in Portugal. And of course, no matter where they go, they must have the best rooms at the best hotels. For instance, when the couple visited Dubai, they stayed at the seven-star Burj Al Arab, reportedly shelling out Rs 17 lakh for the mini-break. When not jetting off to exotic locations, the couple spends time at their “palace in Prestbury, complete with it’s own stadium.” Reports peg the cost of the home from anywhere between £4 and £11 million.

Lionel Messi: His neighbour’s house!
The Argentinian owned or used to own a string of luxury cars (including a Maserati, a Dodge Charger SRT8 and an Audi Q7 White edition), a specially created Piguet watch that’s encrusted with more than 30 rubies — and a pretty fancy estate in the locality of Castelldefels in Catalonia, Spain. But when his neighbours turned out to be a little too pesky for Messi’s taste, he didn’t go over and ask them to stop creating a nuisance. He simply bought out their house, which, with his $44 million salary, he could well afford to. Spanish newspapers reported last year that Messi now owned 1,00,000 square feet of prime real estate in Castelldefels after he bought out the neighbouring house. Apparently, the neighbour had been renting out rooms to fans of the soccer star, who would then create quite the ruckus which Messi didn’t take too kindly to.
 

Neymar: Luxury yacht, helicopter, cars…
It’s difficult to name one luxury toy when talking about Brazil’s Neymar. He’s among the richest footballers in the world, but there have been several reports asking if the 22-year-old is headed for a bankruptcy, and if even his admittedly multimillion-dollar earnings can keep pace with his extravagant spending. Neymar, however, doesn’t seem to share any of those concerns. From a $2.5 million home in Barcelona (among many) to a Porsche Panamera that he picked up for a cool $132,000, an Audi R8 GT (price tag: $246,000) and even a private helicopter, Neymar does seem to put a premium on speed. His biggest expense has been a yacht, it is reported he bought for around $8 million (roughly Rs 48 crore).

Cristiano Ronaldo:
Real estate
The richest football player in the world has a penchant for sporting flashy jewellery and top brands. But it is on real estate that Ronaldo spends a sizeable chunk of his dough. Last year, a list of the properties he owns included a $7.2 million (roughly Rs 43 crore) house in Madrid and a $6 million home in Cheshire. His Madrid home boasts of seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a special a trophy room — which sure must come in handy. The décor has been customised with Ronaldo’s initials. The Cheshire home has five bedrooms, a swimming pool and sauna, a screening room for films, piano, aquarium, ceiling mirrors (all the better to see Irina with?), a fully furnished gym, and a large garage for his fleet of luxury cars (these include a Bugatti Veyron, Koenigsegg CCX, Bentleys, Audis, an Aston Martin, Mercedes, Porsche and Lamborghini Aventador, and a McLaren MP4-12C Spyder).

Fernando Torres: Mansion near London
Torres owns a Mercedes and an Aston Martin, which help him get from one place to another. But, the Spanish forward’s great pride and joy was supposed to be his mansion near London. Torres’ Woolton house was built on a site where two luxury homes previously stood and is made of red brick and terracotta stone. It reportedly cost him £4 million.

Didier Drogba: Diamond-encrusted Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph
The Royal Oak Offshore Chro-nograph needs a flamboyant personality to go with it, and you can bet that it makes for a super snug fit on the wrist of Ivory Coast star player Didier Drogba. While the Audemars Piguet catalogue maintains a discreet, well-bred silence on the subject of its price tag, some sites quote upwards of $122,000 for the most expensive model (above Rs 70 lakh), with the footballer’s version being estimated at £50,500. Like Drogba, the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph is a watch that calls for attention. In both price and style, this one is an acquired taste.