Inside the multi-million pound mansions that football legends like Phil Neville and Gareth Barry can’t sell
WITH three-figure salaries it's easy to see how footballers can afford to splash their cash on opulent mansions and penthouses with some pretty hefty price tags.
But, with so few people being able to afford such a lavish lifestyle, many footballers are struggling to shift their grand homes once they decide to move on.
It’s no surprise, then, that some players' multi-million pound homes spend years on the market without a bite from potential buyers.
We've found homes from Phil Neville, Gareth Barry, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ashley Ward and Marouane Fellaini have all had trouble selling.
Property expert Henry Pryor isn’t surprised that football stars can’t sell their pads.
He told The Sun: “The market these days is tougher than it was three or four years ago and the top end especially so.
"It is very price-sensitive with buyers giving any optimistic asking price the cold shoulder."
On average it takes 60 days to sell a home and half of homes that put on sale don't actually sell.
Mr Pryor adds: “The cost of buying is putting may people off. At £273k, the Stamp Duty on a £3m home is enough to rent the equivalent property for three years, about as far ahead as many professional footballers can see their career these days.
“The market will come back but probably not this season and some footballers are going to need to keep playing for longer than they might have hoped to make up for the losses they face on some of their properties.”
We take a look inside the homes of five football legends.
Gareth Barry’s 30-acre country estate - £4million
Former Manchester City player Gareth Barry hasn’t been waiting quite as long as Neville for a buyer for his country estate in Cheshire.
The 9,000sq ft house is surrounded by 30-acres of land and was bought by Barry in 2009.
It’s been on the market for three years, but at £4million the property is yet to find a buyer.
The beautifully refurbished house has seven bedrooms, two dressing rooms and a balcony overlooking the gardens.
There’s also a leisure complex on site with a games room, indoor swimming pool, sauna and gym.
The grounds also host 13 stables complete with a paddock and tack rooms for all the horses’ gear.
One of the most interesting features of the property is the 3,500sq ft former aircraft hangar with an electric door.
The hangar is the perfect space for a luxury car collection, or something similar.
There’s also a tennis court next to the house, but hopefully it can also double as a football pitch so Barry can practice.
Zlatan Ibrahimović’s 6-bed former home - £4.8million
The expensive tastes of top Premier League players are a luxury very few can afford, something the owners of Green Meadow’s in Greater Manchester have discovered.
The six-bedroom mansion was the home of striker Zlatan Ibrahimović during his time at Manchester United.
He played for the club from 2016 to 2018 before signing with the American club LA Galaxy.
Ibrahimović reportedly paid an eye watering £30,000 a month to call the place home.
He no longer lives at the property, and the current owners have been trying to sell the property for two years.
The 10,000sq ft property has all the essentials a top player might need including a gym, recreation room, wine cellar, bar, covered terrace and under-floor heating.
Famous footballers can expect plenty of privacy on the property secure gated driveway and a border of tall trees.
It features Italian-inspired design throughout, as well as a Lutron lighting system, a comprehensive audio system and central vacuum system.
Out back there is a large deck, covered barbeque area and an extensive lawn.
Ashley Ward’s 11-bedroom mansion - £14.5million
Retired footballer turned property developer Ashley Ward has been trying to sell his extensive property Warford Hall for over five years, but has failed to find a buyer.
The property, situated in the affluent area of Cheshire, can still be view on OnTheMarket.com but is no longer listed as for sale.
The property was first put on the market in 2013, but the sale price was not reported by the agents.
reported that the property was listed for around £14.5million in 2015.
The property was built in 1897 using mellow Cheshire red brick and dressed with Cheshire stone.
Prior to being bought by Ward, the house was home to a call centre with around 100 staff, and many of the luxury features were forgotten.
The property has now been fully refurbished, and comprises of the main house as well as a spacious outbuilding.
In the house there are two cloakrooms, a dining room, playroom, breakfast kitchen and a sun room.
There’s also plenty to entertain with a luxurious cinema room, games room and bar.
The on-site leisure suite also hosts an enviable swimming pool, large Jacuzzi, gym and plant room.
There is a three-bedroom staff flat in the outbuildings as well as a boardroom, several offices and two kitchens.
Marouane Fellaini’s 6-bedroom house - £2million
Former Manchester United player Marouane Fellaini left the club in earlier this year to join Chinese club Shandong Luneng.
But he's still looking for a buyer for his home in Manchester, which has been on the market since November 2018.
The stunning gated home has six en-suite bedrooms, some of which include polished Oak floors and walk-in wardrobes.
The spacious entrance hall opens directly into an open-plan kitchen and family area, which is fitted throughout in a minimal modern style.
Next to the living area is a large leisure complex including a pool, hot tub, sauna and gym.
The property also has a detached annex which has its own living area and kitchen.
There are stunning landscaped gardens surrounding with q river on one boundary with a decking balcony overlooking it.
Phil Neville's 4-bed penthouse - £3.5million
Former Manchester United footballer and head of the England women's team, Phil Neville, put his four-bedroom penthouse flat in Manchester on the market back in 2010, and it’s still listed for sale nine years later.
Taking up the 44, 45 and 46th floor, the 5,000sq ft flat is one of the priciest pads for sale in the city centre at a cool £3.5million.
Mr Neville probably isn’t in a hurry to sell anymore, however, as the property is currently being rented to tenants on a two-year lease.
The property has floor-to-ceiling windows revealing panoramic city views and is currently listed on Rightmove.
It has five parking spaces, a home cinema room and three private terraces.
The kitchen has recently been fitted and compliments the open plan living area.
The main living area and upstairs bedrooms are connected by a grand spiral staircase.
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You might also want to take a look inside the amazing Napoleonic fort built that's on sale for £.125million.
If these homes are bit out of your league then it might be worth checking out this three-bed semi that's on sale for £270,000 - and it has a hot tub.
Yesterday, we shared expert views on how the housing market could be fixed.
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