James Rodriguez is an absolute Rolls Royce of a footballer and had Everton’s midfield purring at the start of the season. The Colombian arrived at Goodison Park as a bonafide superstar having won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup and appeared for Real Madrid in the Champions League.
One of the most famous sports stars on the planet (he boasts 46.6 million fans on Instagram and is the third most followed footballer after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi), James also likes to drive in style. Here we profile some of his best motors.
Audi Q7 3.0 TDI - £65,000
This Audi machine looks just like the stereotypical motor of a professional footballer and proved extremely popular with the Real Madrid squad when the automotive giants gifted the players with a motor each back in 2014.
James, who moved to the Bernabeu that summer, will have already been loving life at one of the grandest clubs on the planet and must have thought he had hit the jackpot when he and Cristiano Ronaldo were among those given what were essentially free cars.
The playmaker plumped for the Q7 3.0 TDI, as did Gareth Bale, Iker Casillas and Luka Modric, who clearly prefer efficiency over anything too flash since the 3.0’s economical engine cuts emissions and helps the environment.
Mercedes G-Wagon G 63 AMG - £143,000
James also owned this stunning motor during his time in the Spanish capital. It’s no surprise that world boxing champ Tyson Fury also drove a G-Wagon as this is a vehicle made for the elite at the top of their game.
Inside, Mercedes claim this luxurious car boasts touchscreen tech which “would have been the stuff of science fiction back when the original G-class was introduced” back in the seventies.
Costing well into six figures, this sporty number can be personalised too and we can only guess, but if James’ eye for car design is anything like his fashion sense, the interior will be classy yet certainly unique.
Mercedes AMG GT four-door coupe - £120,000
James is clearly a fan of the Merc and, let’s be honest, who isn’t? It moulds class with efficiency, much like the Everton man on the field of play.
The second of three Mercs on this list, this one is a practical, spacious car, which is important for a family man like James who has a son and a daughter.
The first four-door sports car of the AMG GT range, it boasts fully variable 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, AMG rear axle steering and AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension making for a masterful drive.
Audi RS7 - £84,000
Wow, Real Madrid’s superstar squad gets spoiled. Two years after taking home the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI, Los Blancos were again presented with brand spanking new models in November 2016, and James plumped for the RS7, which is on the market this year for £84,000.
An absolute monster of a machine, this vehicle is a seriously fun ride with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 592bhp.
The combined cost of all the vehicles handed out to Ronaldo and Co. that day? A cool £2.3m, or in football terms, the price of CR7’s little toe.
Mercedes Benz A-class - £23,000
As we said previously, James is a lover of Mercs, and Everton clearly did their homework, ferrying him when he first arrived on Merseyside in an A-class, a car really in a league of its own.
A distinguished motor, it was created with a “design philosophy of sensual purity”, according to the car giants who make it. Sexy. With pure surfaces and striking details, it’s a classy operator.
Still in disbelief that such a star as James was playing at Goodison Park, lucky Everton fans who clocked him driving in the A-class from the stadium stopped him to present him with a bottle of Echo Falls rosé wine in September.
James gladly accepted the gift, sat in the passenger side in a padded seat that “hugs the occupant”, say Mercedes. With ambient lighting and a smooth, wrap-around design, that is truly driving in style.
