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Five memorable footballer car crashes

Pulse Sports looks at five notable expensive car accidents involving footballers.

In August 2010, the controversial Italian striker Mario Balotelli started his Manchester City career with a literal bang when he crashed his customised £120k Audi R8 into a BMW on Chester Road.

Balotelli left the accident unscathed, but his car, which he'd brought in from his previous home in Milan, was badly written off.

Witnesses said 'Super Mario' was 'lucky to be alive'.

Ian Wright

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Arsenal legend Ian Wright incurred more than £30,000 worth of damage when he crashed his Ferrari 360 Spyder in 2004, after reportedly turning his traction control off.

The goal machine was not injured in the accident, but his car got mangled pretty bad. After the crash, Wrighty said: “Any Ferrari driver knows that when you turn the ASR off you’re dancing with the Devil. And if you dance with the Devil you’ve got to be prepared to get your toes stood on.”

In January 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo, then playing for Manchester United, destroyed his Ferrari 599 GTB in a tunnel on his way to training at Carrington.

Teammate Edwin Van Der Sar was driving behind the Portuguese superstar when the crash happened, and is reported to have given kindly gave him a lift to training once the police had finished with their work.

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Ronaldo had bought the car for £200k in 2008. In November 2012, the wrecked car resurfaced in France and despite its terrible shape, was put up for sale at a price of £40,000.

Diafra Sakho

West Ham's Diafra Sakho crashed his £200k Lamborghini into a mini cooper (and a garden wall!) in January 2016.

A witness reported Sakho was 'driving like a lunatic' while the owner of the house whose garden wall he tore down said Sakho was 'a rich boy with a toy he cannot control'.

No one was hurt in the crash.

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Anderson

Brazilian midfielder Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira had to be pulled from his£100,000 Audi R8 before it burst into flames following an accident in Portugal in August 2010.

Reports said Anderson's unconscious body looked 'lifeless' as it was dragged from the car, which had flown 100 feet in the air and landed on a field after running into a wall. A representative of the footballer, then 22 and playing for Manchester United, described the accident as an 'almighty fright'.

The Porto Alegre-born star was taken to the St Mark's Hospital in Braga along with the other casualties of the crash, where they were reportedly treated for concussion, whiplash and shock.

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