- Our exclusive chat with top Reading FC players
- Andy Yiadom, Charlie Savage, and Amadou Mbengue visited Select Car Leasing HQ
- Captain Yiadom admits love for his trusty Nissan Micra
- Select is Principal Partner of Reading FC
THIS Reading F.C player still turns up for training driving a two grand Nissan Micra - and he says the camaraderie of the group is so strong that no-one bats an eyelid!
You might assume that most modern professional footballers wouldn’t be seen dead in an affordable, well-used family car.
But you’d be wrong, as Andy Yiadom, Reading’s club captain, explained during an exclusive visit to the Select Car Leasing HQ.
While the defender (above, centre, pictured with team mates Charlie Savage and Amadou Mbengue and flanked by Select CEOs and Co-Founders James O'Malley and Mark Tongue) also drives a more sophisticated Range Rover Velar, the 32-year-old isn’t embarrassed to admit grabbing the keys to his faithful Nissan Micra at least once a week.
He explains: “My first car after passing my test was a silver, X-reg Nissan Micra - which I still have! It’s really old now but I still drive it. In fact, I have to drive it at least once a week or else the battery will go flat!
“Do I take it to training? Yeah! Some people might think, ‘What is he doing?’, but at Reading I don’t think anyone really cares about what car you drive. It’s not like that here.”
As Principal Partner of Reading F.C, Select Car Leasing was also delighted to welcome midfielder Charlie Savage, 21, and defender Amadou Mbengue, 22, to the offices as part of a recent visit.
On the subject of cars, Welsh international Charlie is a paid-up Mercedes-Benz fan who currently drives a CLA Coupe.
He says: “I’ve had it since I passed my test and I love it, it’s a great car with a brilliant interior. I also like that it’s not pretentious.
“My dad (former professional footballer and BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Robbie Savage) always said to me that when I get my first car I should get something safe, first and foremost, and which does the job rather than being flashy.
“Even if I had all of the money in the world, I still don’t think I’d change my car. I’m not really a massive ‘car’ person so for me the CLA is perfect.”
Amadou, meanwhile, got behind the wheel of a MINI Countryman (above) when he first passed his test four years ago.
Sadly for the MINI, some enthusiastic driving in his home nation France led to its engine going the way of the Dodo!
He laughs: “The MINI, sadly, is broken. It blew up, lots of smoke. But my second car was an apple green Audi S3 Sportback, which I loved. And now I drive a Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
“Dream car? The one I really want is a Mercedes-Benz G Wagon.”
Reading’s next game after the international break sees them taking on Leyton Orient at home following a solid start to the season that has put them 8th in the League One table.
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