The FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026™ opens in North America this week. Across 16 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, 48 qualifying teams will compete in 104 matches. It’s a spectacle. It’s monumental. It’s the most watched sporting event on the planet.
The players who reach a World Cup have spent their entire lives working towards the opportunity to compete, refining their craft through thousands of hours of unglamorous repetition. A similar pursuit lives in our own world of car collecting, rally racing, and fixing up our old machines. But when you’re a renowned, highly paid footballer, it might appear that a great car collection can materialize out of thin air. Some definitely do. The ones we’re most interested in don’t.
We believe the most gratifying garages are accumulated over the course of a lifetime, through last-minute auctions and old barn finds, shaped by ever-evolving personal taste and curiosities, by craft knowledge that only compounds and improves as time edges on. Football legends aren’t made in a day. Neither are one-of-a-kind collections.
Beckham’s 993
Photo source: DriveForce
The 993 lineage, produced from 1994 to 1998, holds a singular place in Porsche’s automotive history as the last air-cooled 911s. It was viewed as Porsche’s pinnacle of its air-cooled era, impressive in every detail, and was expected to carry the business on its own following the discontinuation of their front-engined transaxle models.
In 1997, David Beckham purchased a 993 Carrera S in Zenith Blue Metallic, an uncommon and undoubtedly standout hue. Further customization included grey leather sports seats, matching blue carpets, lowered suspension, and 18-inch alloy wheels. Following Beckham’s tenure, the car passed through several other owners before surfacing for sale in the UK in 2011 with 25,000 miles.
Messi's 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti
Photo source: Octane Magazine
In 1957, Ferrari built a car for one purpose: to win the Mille Miglia, the legendary thousand-mile road race across Italy. Designed by Enzo Ferrari's carrozzeria of choice, Sergio Scaglietti, the 335 S Spider Scaglietti was built with a 4.0-litre V12 engine producing 400 horsepower—enough to push it to a then-record 190 MPH. Only four were ever made, with three remaining in existence today. Auctioneers from the Artcurial Motorcars auction house described the vehicle in terms usually reserved for fine art, comparing it to the likeness of Picasso paintings or Rodin sculptures.
Lionel Messi is rumored to have purchased one, even outbidding Cristiano Ronaldo for a price of around $35 million. While Messi’s ownership has never been officially confirmed, the 2016 sale makes it one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
Pelé's Beetle and Mercedes-Benzes
Photo source: SlashGear
The FIFA World Cup 1958™ in Sweden produced two things the sport had never seen before: Brazil's first title and Pelé, the youngest player ever to appear and score during a World Cup final. Following the landmark win, 18-year-old Pelé was given a customized Volkswagen Beetle by the brand and was regularly seen zipping around the streets of Santos, Brazil in it. This would be the first of a number of machines the three-time world champion would receive during his meteoric rise to fame during the '60s and '70s.
Pelé was also gifted two Mercedes-Benz models, a 250 W114 and a 280 SE W108. He was known for having a fondness for the brand and these grand touring machines prioritized luxurious comfort over horsepower.
Ronaldo’s Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse
Photo source: @cristiano
Celebrating Portugal’s victory over France at UEFA Euro 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo famously purchased a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. He posted its induction into his multi-million dollar fleet of exotics, hypercars, and custom builds with the caption, “The Animal Arrive”.
At the time of its production, the Vitesse roadster set world speed records with an unrivaled performance of 254 MPH. Keeping wind noise and turbulence in check at those speeds for an open-top is no small engineering feat, however. Bugatti's solution was precise; a specially developed roof spoiler and meticulously positioned windbreaks that kept the experience comfortable. With the engine and turbochargers exposed directly to the driver at those top speeds, comfortable might be relative to the enthusiast.
