Cristiano Ronaldo & the $150,000 Louis Vuitton Trunk
When earning upwards of $400,000 per week, one can afford to indulge their loved ones in life's finer things. Cristiano Ronaldo's detractors might accuse him of being greedy on the pitch, but off it, he has never been shy in spreading the wealth. See this past weekend, when the returning Man United hero treated his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez to a $150,000 Louis Vuitton "Malle Vendome" trunk.
Posting on Instagram, Rodriguez claimed to be "speechless" at the gift. The Malle Vendome is a towering jewelry box that was created to celebrate the opening of the new Louis Vuitton boutique on the famous Place Vendôme, more commonly known as the home of haute joaillerie. The famous cobblestones have welcomed the finest names in French jewelry, stretching way back to the 19th century.
As is the case with all Louis Vuitton trunks, there is a lot more to this absolute unit than meets the eye. It stands at 4ft 6in tall and houses eight drawers. There's also a bust and mirror, meaning there's ample space for Rodriguez to showcase her expansive collection of adornments. CR7 hardly lacks in that department either: see his custom $300,000 women's engagement ring or $1.5 million Franck Muller Cintree Tourbillon.
Undoubtedly the most iconic item in the Louis Vuitton canon, the trunk, or "La Malle," has been reworked in all manner of iterations over the years. It was Mr. Vuitton himself who once said that just about anything can be housed within the confines of the famous monogrammed casing. In other words, assuming you're willing to part with some serious dough, they'll happily make what you want to spec.
Some of the more ambitious creations over the years include a custom option that converts into a fully functioning deluxe shower (got to keep fresh when traveling, right?), and a special-edition caviar case for when your wealthy Russian oligarch friends come to visit. Infamously, Karl Lagerfeld had a travel case built to house his iPod equipment, before designing his own "punching trunk" that housed a full-size, Floyd Mayweather-friendly punching bag (now that's the kind of fashion industry metaphor we are here for). Supreme has been arguably the most famous trunk collaborator in recent times, with the likes of Nigo, Sam Ross, and BTS also offering up remixes to mark Mr. Vuitton's 200th birthday anniversary in the summer.
If Ronaldo ends up feeling jealous about his gift, perhaps he can get something built to house his vast array of cleats and sneakers? Or, just buy the one that's already on the market, courtesy of a collaboration with the NBA in 2019.
