Write-off ... Cristiano Ronaldo's Ferrari
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THE crash is bound to spark mickey-taking chants from fans. Here are a couple to get the ball rolling.
“Ron, Ron, wherever he may be, I heard he crashed his Ferrari,
“But he won’t wory about the repair fee, because he’s still got his flash Bentley.”
Or “Que Sera Sera,
“Ronaldo’s smashed his brand new car,
“But he was helped by Van der Sar,
“Que Sera Sera.”
By ANDY CRICK
A HOST of other Manchester United stars have got into bother behind the wheel.
Defender Rio Ferdinand was banned for a month for speeding in 2005 after overtaking a police car at 105mph.
It was the England star’s fourth ban following convictions for drink-driving and speeding.
Cop quiz ... Rooney
Striker Wayne Rooney was quizzed by cops after his £50,000 BMW X5 was in collision with another car in 2005.
But Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson was cleared of illegally driving on a hard shoulder in 1999 after telling JPs he had diarrhoea.
Ex-Man U ace David Beckham won an appeal against an eight-month speeding ban in 1999.
By KEN GIBSON
RONALDO is one of less than 100 lucky owners of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano — a special edition model.
There is a waiting list of 18 months for anyone wishing to buy the Italian-made vehicle.
Telly chef Gordon Ramsay is also the proud owner of a 599 GTB Fiorano.
Sadly Ronaldo seems better equipped at controlling a football than he is a supercar.
But he is not the first footballer to find that owning such a car can be a costly business.
Perhaps Ferrari should provide special driving lessons for them.
The winger, 23, lost control of the 200mph supercar on his way to a Manchester Utd training session. He hit a tunnel wall but walked away unhurt. Cops were investigating last night.
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But grinning Ronaldo brushed off his terrifying smash — with a
cheery thumbs-up at the wheel of his £150,000 Bentley.
The Manchester United idol headed straight to training after the accident, which scattered debris across two lanes of a carriageway inside a tunnel.
Click to see more pics of the mangled Ferrari:
And he was all smiles as he left the Red Devils’ Carrington complex in the swish new Bentley Continental — another from his fleet of luxury motors.
Portuguese winger Ronaldo lost control of the 200mph Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano as he drove beneath a Manchester Airport runway yesterday morning.
It crashed into a roadside barrier and bounced off a wall, sending one wheel flying 200 yards through the air and leaving skidmarks on the tarmac.
I'm all right ... Ronaldo's signal as he leaves training in Bentley
Yet the £110,000-a-week ace emerged without a scratch and astonished passers-by saw him standing beside the wreck.
He will only need to save for a fortnight for a new Ferrari, but will be at the back of a queue.
Last night police sources said they would be investigating whether the star was speeding or racing in the car, which he had imported from his homeland just two days earlier.
He will have to give a statement. One police source said: “The state of the car would suggest he wasn’t doing 30mph. We will be speaking to him.” Onlooker Jody Lomax was driving behind Ronaldo as the crash happened.
Cheery ... Ronaldo with pals
He said: “The Ferrari went straight into the wall, his front left-hand wheel came off and then Ronaldo got out of the car.
“I was shocked. He was all right, walking — but he was a bit shaken, who wouldn’t be?”
Witness Dena Glass, 64, said: “The front of the car was completely mangled and there was bits of metal all over the place.
“We had to dodge around the debris and saw this man standing by the side of his car looking very forlorn and bewildered.
“Then my daughter said, ‘Oh my God, that’s Cristiano Ronaldo’! He didn’t look to have any injuries, which is amazing because the car looked really bad.” Businessman Philip Jones, 58, took pictures of the crash aftermath. He said: “The driver was exceptionally lucky to get out.
“The airbags had gone off and the bonnet was up. It looked like he’d hit the tunnel wall.”
Ronaldo, who had been on his way to training from his £4million home in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, passed a routine breath-test after the 10.20am crash.
He hitched a lift with Utd goalie Edwin van der Sar, who was travelling behind him, and arrived at Carrington an hour later.
Relatives dropped off the Bentley for him as he trained. And Ronaldo drove them all back to his pad after the session ended.
The star bought the flash Bentley last summer in place of a similar convertible model.
He has spent around £2million on motors since arriving at Old Trafford five years ago.
He blew £350,000 on a Rolls-Royce Phantom — and £150,000 more on a personalised number plate for it. His garage has also included two Porsche Cayennes, a BMW M6 and a Porsche 911.
His V12-engined Ferrari, which did 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds, was loaded on to a recovery truck after yesterday’s crash, covered in a black sheet.
Police said no other cars or people were involved in the accident in a 50mph zone.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “We are investigating a road traffic collision in the airport tunnel on the A538.
Supercar ... Ferrari like ace Ronaldo's
“It appears a Ferrari has collided with a barrier. Inquiries are continuing. The driver has been spoken to at the scene.
“Our Collision Reconstruction Unit will be looking at how fast he was going — and exactly what happened to cause this.” A Utd spokesman said: “Cristiano’s fine and training as normal.”
Ronaldo is due at training again today and is expected to line up in Sunday’s crunch Premier League clash with title rivals Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Sources in Portugal said the star’s mum Dolores Aveiro, 54, was “very worried” after hearing of the smash. An insider said: “She was very frightened and spent the whole day resting.”
Ronaldo bought the Ferrari, with all the extras, from a Portuguese dealership last month. It was delivered to him on Tuesday. The insider said: “He was insured, and that paperwork went through on December 19.”
To see the original classic comedy video of 'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? click here or on the multimedia link above.
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