Frank Lampard to rent Robert De Niro’s Hollywood penthouse
Man City and former Chelsea midfielder, Frank Lampard has been spotted viewing a $39.8million (S$51m) New York home in Manhattan with his fiancee Christine Bleakley ahead of their move to the Big Apple in the summer.
The swanky property was previously owned by Hollywood actor Robert De Niro and in fitting fashion, boasts five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a huge garage and 360-degree views of the New York skyline. The 9,000 sq ft apartment also costs $95,000 ($126,000) per month to rent, with agents saying that the player is keen on the property.
Lampard, 36, is preparing for life in the United States when he joins Major League Soccer (MLS) team New York City FC in July, where Spanish star David Villa also plays.
Bleakley and Lampard travelled to New York for the weekend where they watched his new team take on Sporting Kansas City at the Yankee stadium, but house-hunting was clearly on the agenda.
The England national follows in the footsteps of fellow international Steven Gerrard in moving Stateside, although the Liverpool icon has already locked down an equally stunning house in Malibu, right opposite the Santa Monica beach.
The duplex Lampard viewed was dubbed a ‘contemporary masterpiece’ and is one of the city’s 'most magnificent’ penthouses’.
The home boasts an enormous living room with a wood-burning fireplace, and a master suite with two walk-in closets, an en-suite bathroom and a steam room.
It also features high ceilings, a library, a home office, a grand dining room, and “some of the most impressive private outdoor spaces in Manhattan”.
More impressively, it also features a 3,000-square-foot garage which can fit seven cars. Now, who says retirement isn’t sweet?
ADEBAYOR ISSUES FACEBOOK STATEMENT ON FAMILY RIFT
Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has issued a lengthy Facebook statement to refute claims suggesting he had turned his back on his family by highlighting everything he has ever done for them.
The 31-year-old player, who played down reports suggesting he kicked his mother out of his house back in November, listed all of the items he bought his close family relatives during his time as a professional footballer.
Adebayor said he shared the statement about his family so that “other African families learn from this”.
He also met up with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba (seen below with him at the recent African Nations Cup) to discuss his problems and went on to say he has set up a foundation in Africa “just in case I die”.
The Togo international, who returned to first team action against Manchester City on Sunday after two months on the sidelines, revealed incredibly personal matters in his 877-word statement.
Adebayor, who moved to England in 2006 when he signed for Arsenal, also claims he sent his mother away for a week’s stay with Nigerian faith healer T. B. Joshua - only for her to leave after just two days.
He highlighted how he paid for his mother to travel to London for medical checks, let his sister stay in his $1.2million house in Ghana, helped one of his brothers set up a business, and paid for his children’s education.
He later found out that his sister had rented the house out to external tenants without his permission.
The Premier League ace stopped short of criticising his deceased brother Peter but said he was not allowed to see his sibling while he was “seriously ill” and was told to “just give money”.
