Man of the match

They worked together to restore the Barracuda and de Jong adds: �When we met, I thought why don�t we do something together? The market in Germany was such that people wanted things like this, especially the football players.�I am now looking for the clients in my area, footballers and people around the business of football.�Hamid searches for the cars because I am not the type of guy who has the time to do that. A big percentage of our clients are footballers, but we have people from TV and film and oil companies. We are trying to get some cars from Europe to Dubai and will know how we go over there in the next couple of months.�

The Gulf is a target area for de Jong with Mossadegh having strong ties to the UAE.At 29, Mossadegh has been involved with cars for the past 10 years and has a home in Dubai.He has spent a lot of time in the emirates as his uncle, also known as Hamid, owns an industrial machinery company in Dubai, which includes making car parts.De Jong and Mossadegh have a partnership with Abu Dhabi-based Princess Cars for their UAE sales.

Hamid Mossadegh, the president of Continental Cars in Germany and Nigel de Jong�s business partner, poses with some current stock in the company�s Hamburg showroom. Krafft Angerer for The National

De Jong has no plans to open a showroom in the capital – at least for now. Instead, the expansion will start with a new facility in central Hamburg.�We are looking for a second spot to move from where we are and make the old one like a garage, not a showroom anymore,� reveals de Jong. �Then we can use the new one as our main facility.�You have to develop yourself and cannot stand still. We are always searching for cars and ways to grow the business, but we are a niche market and in Abu Dhabi we have a good business contact and that�s good for now. I hear how they love their cars.

�We have got all kinds, but it depends on the customer, not where he is. If he wants something specific then we will look for it. �We have a good choice, like Ferraris or even simple cars like the Mini Coopers. We have original and handmade prototypes.�If I was showing you one, it would have to be the 1965 Ford Mustang. We ordered it from the US and it really is a classic.�The Mustang currently stands for sale alongside other marquee names, such as a Bentley Continental Mulliner GT, Cadillac Series 63, Corvette ZR1 and a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

It is a hobby that has become a business for de Jong, and, like his playing career, he hopes it will soar, in spite of these tougher economic times.�Of course we have been affected like everyone else,� he says. �The market was quiet for a while, but it�s picking up again now and we hope to sell between 20-40 cars a year. Luckily for me, I have a lot of football players (as customers) and they don�t know about a recession.�

De Jong has sold a Cadillac Escalade and Mustang Fastback to his Holland international teammates Robin van Persie and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, while the Peruvian striker Jose Paolo Guerrero has bought a Hummer.And what of his current City teammates? �I just sold a Nissan GT-R to Valeri Bojinov (currently on loan at Parma).�When they (players) are looking for a car, they come to me for advice and I will give it to them. If they see something nice, or on the internet, and we have the car in stock, then we get it – and you always have to give discount to the players.�

De Jong, 24, is also happy to add the bling they may require.�I�ve not had anyone ask for anything too strange,� he adds. �It�s usually typical things, DVD players, PlayStations, TVs. We do whatever they want really because they want the car to be special.�Me, I like some nice wheels on it. It doesn�t matter what the interior is like, but nice wheels, not too shiny, not too flashy. It�s like the best shoes you have.

�Footballers are often searching for fast cars, but the business people want something more classic, something they can cruise in, like the Bentleys, Audi R8s or Range Rovers.�De Jong loved cars as a child, and was able to recognise a brand by its headlights, when he was growing up in Amsterdam as the eldest of five children. His grandfather worked for Ford and trips to the factory became a welcome treat.

The first car he bought was a Vauxhall Astra as a teenager. Until then, he was driving his mother�s Toyota Starlet after passing his driving test, already showing his footballing talent for the famed local team Ajax.Now he has three cars at his Manchester home for personal use. The sleek black Aston Martin DB9 holds pride of place. �That�s my baby,� he says with a smile. �I had an Audi R8 for two years, but I love the Aston Martin. It�s fast and classy.

�My wife has got a Porsche Cayenne and we have just got a Mercedes E63 AMG, another four-door for the family.�I have always said that if I can afford it, I want to get a Ferrari. The 458 Italia is out in the summer of 2010 and I�m waiting for that. It looks so cool.�For a classic car, my favourite would be the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing with the flying doors. Why? It�s the history and shape of the car. It�s just beautiful.

�To judge a classic car depends if you want to drive it every day or have it as an investment. As an investment, a classic car means you are never going to lose your money. Of course you have to spend money on it, but in 10-15 years it still holds its value.�De Jong�s business is about the long-term too. A footballer�s career at the top can be short and he does not want to follow the path of other players whose lives have suffered once they have stopped.

His inspiration is the Holland and AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who has a jewellery business among his interests outside of football.With his father Jerry, a former footballer, an absent parent, de Jong admits his family did not have a �lot of spare cash� when growing up and football is not forever.�I have always tried to look ahead and have something after football,� he adds. �My mother [Marja] taught me that. I have loved cars since I was young. It�s why I like the classic cars.

�Football is my career and comes first, but the cars are my hobby, my passion and now also my business.�akhan@thenational.ae