The Premier League of Wristwatches

Today, fans don't just care about their stars' footballing achievements; Beckham, Ronaldo, and the like have become major style icons for some time now. Scoring goals and wearing a tracksuit? That's no longer the end of a football star's job! Thanks to their fame, athletes are constantly in the spotlight, even in their private lives, and are therefore under scrutiny 24/7. In order to live up to their role as role models and always make a well-groomed impression, athletes sooner or later have to take a critical look at the topic of style. Gone are the days when the focus was mainly on their ladies in the stands and only they were eyed critically. Men are now expected to have a sense of style too! This is precisely why many athletes now also work as models and brand ambassadors on the side.

The public expects a certain degree of style

However, there are still significant differences between the individual global stars. Established fashion icon or in urgent need of improvement? The impression of the fans has become a decisive factor in terms of popularity. While the stylish former footballer David Beckham has the edge in the fashion world, Lionel Messi still has room to improve. The Argentinian, known for his fashion mistakes, can still learn a lot from the established fashion expert: David has his own style idols, such as James Dean, and enjoys being inspired, but always pays attention to his own style and knows exactly what suits him.

It's no wonder, then, that footballers are extremely demanding – in competitions, they're focused and always give their all to get the best out of themselves, and they transfer this to their environment and thus to everything they wear. With their high standards, they value particularly high-quality, reliable products. Only when both criteria are met can the athletes be inspired and impressed. The world's best footballers rely on only the best in their lives off the pitch – because why settle for second best? When it comes to the watches that accompany them constantly, Ronaldo and his friends all have their very own, unique favorites. We'll introduce you to the stars' favorites in more detail here:

Cristiano Ronaldo: Football hero, style icon, watch fan

International football hero Cristiano Ronaldo is an avowed watch fan - his passion goes so far that he has even delighted his teammates at Real Madrid with watch gifts. Each player has already received a model from the luxury brand Bulgari. Since 2014, Ronaldo has also been a brand ambassador for the Swiss company TAG Heuer . The collaboration was celebrated with a special Cristiano Ronaldo special model. This resulted in the strictly limited Formula 1 Ronaldo Special Edition in a sporty design. His impressive collection also includes numerous other luxury brands, including models from Audemars Piguet , Corum, Cvstos, Franck Muller and Rolex . One of his all-time favorites, however, is and remains the Cosmograph Daytona from the Swiss manufacturer Rolex in stylish rose gold. A real eye-catcher on the superstar's wrist!

Rolex Daytona is considered THE football watch

The Rolex Daytona is considered an absolute classic among designer watches. The model has barely changed since 1963 and remains extremely popular. Well-known Daytona fans include Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and David Villa. Bastian Schweinsteiger also came out as a Daytona fan, posing for the cover of GQ magazine in 2015 wearing a classy, ​​blackened Blaken Rolex Daytona. After his wedding to the beautiful tennis star Ana Ivanovic, the German soccer hero showed his love for this luxury watch in a very special way: The celebrity couple, in addition to their wedding rings, also purchased the model as their partner's watch as an additional token of their love. Both can now be seen wearing the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona on their wrists as a symbol of their togetherness. What a unique, romantic, and stylish gesture! Ana's stainless steel version has a light dial and is no longer available. However, fans can fall back on the successor model, which was presented at Baselworld last year.

Hublot and Audemars Piguet are also competing for the top spots in the table.

English record-breaking player Wayne Rooney, on the other hand, mostly relies on the extravagant pieces from Hublot . His favorites from the brand are the elegant Big Bang and the limited edition King Power Manchester United. Hublot also became the topic of conversation at the beginning of this year due to a scandal: At the FIFA gala in January, the award winners were each supposed to receive a Big Bang Football. However, the six watches, valued at a total of 93,000 euros, were stolen from FIFA headquarters in Zurich by unknown persons before the awards ceremony, so replacement watches were given to the winners and the promised Big Bang models were sent to them later. Former Portuguese international Luis Figo also lost his treasures in a burglary: After being the victim of a theft in 2003, unknown persons broke into his house again in 2016 and stole 15 luxury watches and other jewelry valued at 500,000 euros.

FC Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski also chooses Hublot for his timepiece, in his case the popular Classic Fusion , whose fan base also includes AS Monaco player Radamel Falcao. Besides Marco Reus, French striker Olivier Giroud is another Hublot fan. He usually chooses a model with a sporty design for everyday wear. However, for more formal occasions he also likes to wear a Rolex or Audemars Piguet. Spaniard David Silva of Manchester City also appreciates the luxury watches from Audemars Piguet and is often seen wearing the sporty Royal Oak Offshore in his free time. Spaniard Alvaro Negredo is also a fan of the Royal Oak Offshore model. Even four-time “World Footballer of the Year” Lionel Messi is a fan of Audemars Piguet watches and has already acted as a testimonial for the first-class timepieces. A special, extremely limited special edition with intricate details in three different versions was also dedicated to him.

The market leaders are clearly the Swiss

The watchmakers at IWC Schaffhausen also have their fans in the field of ball sports: national player Mario Gomez and manager Oliver Bierhoff rely on the Swiss manufacturer's high-quality products for their timepieces. On the occasion of the 2012 European Championship in Poland, IWC even distributed the Large Pilot's Watch Edition DFB, limited to 250 pieces, to the best national players. Midfielders Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger, for example, are proud owners of these pieces. However, there are also athletes who choose their watches less based on brand and price segment. Striker Mario Götze selects his models primarily based on design: he particularly likes black watches on his wrist. Among his treasures are the Hublot Big Bang (in black, of course) and a special black version of the Rolex Submariner, which was made especially for him. Fernando Torres also owns a Rolex Submariner.

The right model does not always have to be the most expensive

But no matter what is important to footballers in their watches – the huge, diverse market now offers a wide selection for all requirements and every taste – even the world stars with their high standards are sure to find what they are looking for!

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