To masseurs, nutritionists, security guards and truckloads of cash, chalk up another perk to being a professional footballer: a box-fresh Audi.  The Ingolstadt, Germany-based automaker has had a relationship with Spain’s Real Madrid club for 10 years. As per tradition, the team’s roster gets its pick of preselected loaner cars for the season, complete with favourable purchase options at the end of the year.  On 29 November, the official hand-over of vehicles occurred at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela horse-racing track on the outskirts of the Spanish capital.  Though no longer the highest-paid player on his squad, having relinquished that title to Gareth Bale in September, Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo exhibited admirable car savvy by choosing the most expensive car of the bunch, a 552-horsepower RS6 Avant.  Ronaldo was also something of a contrarian on his club. Of the 24 vehicles dispensed, 12 were Q7 sport crossovers. Newsflash: professional athletes like SUVs.  IIker Casillas: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Cristiano Ronaldo: Audi RS6 Avant Gareth Bale: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Sergio Ramos: Audi RS5 Carlo Ancelotti: Audi A8 4.2 TDI Pepe: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Marcelo: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Xabi Alonso: Audi S7 Isco: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Álvaro Arbeloa: Audi SQ5 Karim Benzema: Audi SQ5 Diego López: Audi Q5 3.0 TDI Asier Illarramendi: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Fabio Coentrao: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Sami Khedira: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Rafael Varane: Audi S3 Sportback Carvajal: Audi Q5 3.0 TDI Álvaro Morata: Audi SQ5 Ángel Di María: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Casemiro: Audi A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI Jesé: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Nacho: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Luca Modric: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Jesús Fernández: Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI
The Portuguese crack elects an RS6 Avant as his loaner car for the 2013-14 season, a perk of Audi sponsorship of his club, Real Madrid.