There is no doubt that the lifestyle of international footballers is one that never ceases to amaze. In addition to winning matches, popular athletes also land themselves various lucrative brand deals and endorsements that easily place them among the highest earners in the world. However, while some players may choose to spend lavishly, others prefer the simpler things in life.
Here are the top footballers known for their extravagant lifestyles —
Christiano Ronaldo, Portugal
This Portuguese legend owns four mansions in Spain, England, and Portugal that total approximately $22 million. He also has a collection of 19 luxury cars, including an £8.5m Bugatti Centodieci — one of only ten in the world. Ronaldo owns two private planes — a Gulfstream G650 with a market value of approximately $65.5 million and a Gulfstream G200 on which he reportedly spent $25 million.
Lionel Messi, Argentina
Although somewhat modest compared to Ronaldo, there is no doubt that Messi lives quite an expensive life. The player owns two lavish properties in Barcelona and Argentina and has recently added a $7.25 million luxury apartment in the Porsche Design Tower, Miami, to his list of homes.
The fact that this apartment has three car lifts to allow residents to elevate and park their cars on the same floor as their suites, gives us a rough idea of exactly how ‘luxurious’ it is.
Messi has an impressive collection of some of the most luxurious cars in the world including a £1.5 million Pagani Zonda and a £100,000 Gran Turismo S.
Neymar Junior, Brazil
If his $7 million house in Brazil and the $26 million 5-storey mansion in Paris is anything to go by, this player definitely has a taste for elegance. Neymar enjoys a luxury car collection including Ferrari 459, Red Lobster, and a limited-edition Maserati, to name a few.
This athlete also loves to fly in style, owning two private jets of $4 million and $7 million respectively, and a Mercedes Benz helicopter worth $15 million.
On the flip side of the coin, here are players who choose to live a relatively simple life despite their wealth —
Sadio Mané, Senegal
This Senegalese footballer is known for his generosity throughout the world. Despite his massive success and earnings in recent times, Mané has kept little for himself, donating the majority of his earnings to multiple social welfare projects. He is particularly generous to his native village in Bambali, Senegal. Mané has helped build schools, hospitals, and other projects. A relatively lesser-known fact is that Mané donates $80 to every person in a particularly poor region every month back in his hometown. His philosophy is to share with his people a portion of what life has given him.
Mohamed Salah, Egypt
Playing as a forward for a Premium League Club like Liverpool and being the captain of the Egypt international team does come with an impressive amount of money. However, Salah chooses to make a change by giving back to his community as much as he can, just like his teammate Sadio Mané.
In addition to helping build schools and a hospital without any financial assistance, Salah has donated a huge chunk of his earnings to help more than 450 families escape poverty by giving them monthly allowances. He also helped the government of Egypt by giving approximately $300,000 when the country was headed for an economic recession.
Marcus Rashford, England
This 24-year-old Manchester United forward is known for both his generous nature and his brave attitude. Rashford has long been a vocal campaigner against poverty and his donation during the COVID-19 lockdown has helped provide free meals to 4 million underprivileged children across England. His open letter to the government to end child poverty saw prompt results with a change of policy that allowed children to access free meals at schools throughout the holidays.
N’Golo Kanté, France
It is exceedingly difficult to imagine an international central midfielder who has played in the Premier League and the FIFA World Cup to have the kind of lifestyle that Kanté lives. For the longest time, Kanté showed up to practice in a Mini Cooper. If that is not shocking enough, this athlete has been known to get $10 haircuts when his teammates were spending thousands on an expensive trim. His humble nature even led him to accept a simple dinner invitation from a fan once. Despite being a World Cup winner and one of the best midfielders the sport has to offer, N’Golo Kante is the very definition of humility in today’s world.
