Through The Keyhole Of Footballer's Houses

Dan Fitch takes a peek through the keyhole of the homes of some top footballers.

They say that money can't buy taste and this is never more apparent than when you take a glimpse at the home of a footballer.

Footballer's pads are big on rooms, swimming pools and bling. Take a peek with us through the keyhole of footballer's houses.

6. Jermain Defoe

As is the wont of many footballers, Jermain Defoe bought a perfectly nice home in the Hertfordshire village of Cuffley, only to knock it down and build a much bigger and uglier home in it's place.

Defoe's house is now up for sale for £3.75m and he has already bought another nearby property, which you've guessed it... he plans to knock down and replace with a mansion that will give house space to it's own nightclub. Let's hope that it's decorated with a bit more flair than our favourite room in Defoe's current house - his gigantic bedroom, featuring a bed... and not much else apart from a carpet.

5. Cristiano Ronaldo

When Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid, he splashed out £8m on a mansion just west of Central Madrid in Pozuelo de Alarcon.

It might only boast one-storey, but with 36 rooms spread across 1000 square metres, it would probably be facetious to label it as a 'bungalow'. Here's a video of Cristiano relaxing at home, by throwing his dog into a swimming pool.

4. David Beckham

As glamorous addresses go, Beverly Hills makes Alderley Edge seem like a grubby part of town. The Beckham's paid $22m for a 13,000-square foot, six-bedroom Italian-style mansion and rather than living in a street which also houses all his team-mates, Beckham's neighbours are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

The biggest shock is the interior, which actually looks extremely tasteful. Maybe that 'Posh' nickname wasn't ironic after all.

3. Phil Neville

It's not just your Average Joe on the street that has been affected by the economic downturn. Even Premier League footballer's have been hit in the pocket, as Phil Neville found out when he failed to sell his 27-room Versace-themed house for it's £4m asking price and eventually had to settle for a measly £2.6m.

You can't blame the buyer for putting in such a low offer considering that he would have to completely redecorate the place, starting with the removal of those tasteful gates bearing the initials of Phil and his wife Julie.

2. Stephen Ireland

Now on-loan at Newcastle, Stephen Ireland recently revealed that he had refused to move to Birmingham when at Aston Villa, because it was 'a crap city'. Presumably it was also because he couldn't bring himself to leave his blinging six-bedroom home in Prestbury, Manchester.

And why would he when he could look like a Bond villain in his front room? He might want to give a lick of paint to his daughter's bedroom though, if he doesn't want to have to keep wearing sunglasses whenever he goes in there.

1. Gary Neville

Now that he's retired from football and abusing Scousers, Gary Neville can concentrate on the construction of his new space-age home.

Derided in the press as 'Teletubbyland', Neville's underground house is actually much less obtrusive than your average footballer's mansion. The former England right back has been granted planing permission to build an £8m eco-bunker measuring 8000 square foot and designed to blend seamlessly into the Lancashire landscape. Perhaps he can give the number of his architect to his brother?

Published: 18 Mar 2011