News
7 Footballers Who Have Crashed Their Ferraris
In the footballing world, Ferraris are a popular vehicle choice. A lot of top professional footballers own at least a brand of Ferrari.
Ferrari is a symbol of speed, luxury and wealth. On the road, the car courts attention, effortlessly.
However, some of them are known to have been careless with theirs. Hence, they crashed and damaged their expensive toys.
Ferrari is manufactured in Maranello, Italy. The first Ferrari was manufactured in 1940.
In this article, Autojosh.com highlights some footballers who have crashed and damaged their Ferraris.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Ferrari 599 GTB)
On January 8, 2009, Portuguese International, Cristiano Ronaldo, crashed his Ferrari 599 GTB.
The accident occurred while he was still playing for Manchester United.
The 5 times Ballon D’or award-winner, who was 23 years old then, escaped unhurt after crashing the car into a roadside barrier in a tunnel near Manchester airport.
Ronaldo was on his way to training when the accident occurred, but he later arrived at the ground and took part in the training session.
Ricardo Costa (Ferrari 599 GTB)
December 2011, Ricardo Costa, a Valencia defender then, crashed his Ferrari 599GTB. The accident happened just two weeks after he bought the car.
According to reports, on his way back from training, the Portuguese lost control of his Ferrari and drove right into a hedge.
He was traveling with his dad who had to be taken to hospital following the accident for a nervous breakdown.
Éver Banega (Ferrari 360 Mondena)
On 30 July 2012, Ever Banega, a midfielder for Spanish club Valencia CF, was driving when his Ferrari 360 Mondena suddenly caught fire.
The then 24-year old Argentine was able to escape from the fire unscathed. However, his beloved Ferrari was burnt beyond recognition.
The incident occurred while he was driving on a road near his Valencia team’s training grounds in Spain. Banega had only recently bought the car and the cause of the fire was likely due to an electrical short circuit.
The fire incidence occurred just weeks after he recovered from a broken ankle sustained five months earlier and accident with his Audi R8.
Arturo Vidal (Ferrari 458 Italia)
On June 16, 2015, Chile international and then Juventus footballer Arturo Vidal crashed his Ferrari 458 Italia.
He crashed his Ferrari 458 into another car on the highway before veering off-road. Vidal was on his way back from a casino with his wife. He was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. Both Vidal and his wife were unharmed.
After being treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital, Vidal was escorted by police to the station for questioning.
The accident left heavy damage to the Ferrari’s left front and deployed airbags.
The accident happened during the 2015 Copa America in his home country Chile. He was the tournament’s current top scorer with three goals when the crash occurred.
Martín Cáceres (Ferrari 458)
On the night of 28 September 2015, Juventus defender, Martín Cáceres, crashed his 458 Italia into a multitude of cars as well as a bus stop in Turin, Italy. When police arrived on the scene, it was discovered that the Uruguayan’s blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit.
The crash caused significant damage to the 458. The front-end took the brunt of the impact with the bus stop. Other visible damage were on the wing mirror and front wheel.
Caceres was later suspended and fined by his club for the drunk driving incidence.
Neymar (Ferrari 458 Spider)
On 27 November 2016, Brazilian, Neymar, who was playing for Barcelona at the time damaged his Ferrari 458 Spider in a road accident.
The 24-year-old was driving to meet up with team-mates before their flight to San Sebastian for a match with Sociedad when the crash occurred.
He was leaving the motorway in his £240,000 sports car when he appeared to lose control on the slip road that was wet from overnight rain.
Neymar escapes unhurt after crashing his £240,000 toy.
A Club official came to the rescue, picking the player up and ensuring that he reached the training ground in time to take the team coach to the airport.
Lewis Grabban (Ferrari 488 GTB)
This entry is a rather bizarre one.
In March 2018, Aston Villa striker, Lewis Grabban, ordered for a brand new £250,000 Ferrari 488 GTB. As he was not going to be at home, he asked his wife’s brother to receive the car on his behalf and have it delivered to him at the training ground.
Instead, the 26-year old brother-in-law and his friend decided to take the supercar out for a spin. He drove the Ferrari into a tree an hour after it was delivered.
The car was later shipped to the Ferrari factory in Italy for a £93,500 worth of repair work.
