Strangest cars footballers drive from Djibril Cisse’s snakeskin Cadillac to Stephen Ireland’s bizarre fleet of motors
THEY really, really simply cannot help it, can they?
We all know footballers are paid ridiculous money in the modern game.
And, put simply, sometimes footballers have so much they don't know what to do with it all.
And that has led to some rather outlandish decisions in the garages over the years.
Case in point, these car-lovers who seem to deliberately do their best to ruin their class motors with the oddest customising imaginable, or they just have rather unique tastes.
The likes of Mario Balotelli, Stephen Ireland and Djibril Cisse have all committed crimes against cars.
But who do you think is the worst offender?
Join SunSport in giving you the definitive run-down of footballers' most astonishing-looking cars.
Let's start with Stephen Ireland...
The ex-Stoke City midfielder has always been a little out there with his car choices, as you can see.
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A pink-trim Ranger Rover did little for his street-cred, while his blue and white resprayed Audi R8 (when he played for Manchester City) was flashy.
What made his R8 even more ridiculous was its Superman petrol cap! Why?
He once bought his wife, Jessica Lawlor a £260k Bentley too, paying £1,000 to have the iconic ‘B’ motif on the bonnet changed to her initials.
The car also featured red leather seats with ‘To Jess, Love from Stephen’ written in stitches on them, as well as hearts stitched on the headrests.
The trouble with El Hadji Diouf...
The notorious Senegal star regularly found himself in hot water, whether it was with managers, referees or even the authorities.
On the pitch, he liked to stand out from the crowd, showing off silky footwork with some crafty step-overs, sometimes bamboozling defenders.
Off the pitch, he was equally as flamboyant and his gold-plated Cadillac Escalade was an ultimate statement of wealth.
You could say he acted as inspiration for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who covered his Lamborghini in a gold wrap.
Go, Go Power Ranger...
Former Newcastle star Nile Ranger wasn't afraid to wear his colours on his car.
He had his own customised Range Rover in white with a black strip running through the middle of it. But that wasn't why it was offensive to the eye.
The fact the bad boy swapped out 'Rover' on the bonnet for his own surname was a bit too much to take for us.
The gall of Gallas...
When you've got an amazing car - in this case a Mercedes McLaren SLR - its beauty speaks for itself.
But if you're ex-Arsenal and Chelsea star William Gallas, you'll want to add your own personal touch to proceedings.
He had his £200k-plus car wrapped in chrome, making it look more like a disco ball. What was he thinking?
Must train harder...
When David James was at Portsmouth, then-manager Tony Adams made a rule that the worst trainer in the squad had to drive a 1992 Robin Reliant the next day to training.
The ex-England goalie was reportedly behind the wheel most days because he was terrible.
And over the years, Pompey's pros threw money at the vehicle to customise it - once making it look like Mr T's A-Team van!
Balotelli has balls...
The controversial Italian striker once asked, 'Why Always Me?' on a hidden shirt revealed after he scored against Man Utd for his old club, City.
And when he was in Manchester, he loved going out - and whether or not he was trying to be inconspicuous with his camouflage Bentley, we don't know.
But the garish sight certainly meant he stood out from the crowd.
It is unclear if Balotelli still owns the garish Bentley after he sold off a load of his supercar collection including a Lamborghini and Ferrari.
Wayne Rooney's first car...
Since then, he's definitely had an upgrade, eh? Over the years, we've seen Roon driving a Range Rover, a BMW i8 and even an Audi Q7.
But when he was a whipper-snapper at Everton, the then-teenager invested in his first car.
Rooney kept it sensible, getting himself a reliable Ford Ka - the sports model, need we add. Note the personalised reg plate.
And finally...
Djibril Cisse has always been a man who has been out there with his fashion choices.
The ex-Liverpool striker, who is now a DJ, had a snakeskin wrap on his Cadillac Escalade that took pride of place in his car collection.
But that wasn't his ultimate statement of individuality.
On his Chrysler he had a painting of his daughter, Ilona front and centre on the bonnet.
As touching a sentiment as it is, it wouldn't have done much for its re-sell value.
