When we brought you the football installment of Car and Athlete last month, we described how superstar Lionel Messi, despite being considered the best football player in the world, had a pretty modest car collection compared to his peers.

Well, Messi is certainly doing his part building up his garage when a video on YouTube showed the Argentinian taking delivery of a brand-spankin' new Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale.

The Italian supercar, with its 450-horsepower, 4.7-liter V8 engine has the credentials fitting of a world-class athlete like Messi. And while he still doesn't have the car collection that his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo has, his new Maserati definitely brings those automotive swag credentials up a notch.

His new toy surely looks pretty sweet when lined up with his other high-priced rides. But if Messi really wants to make a statement, he should have ordered a one-off Pagani Zonda.->ke942

Now THAT would put Ronaldo in his place.

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