Footballers' cars

• Ronaldo drives a 700 brake horsepower Lambourghini Aventador
• La Liga rival Lionel Messi sits pretty in a £107,000 Maserati GranTurismo 
• Wayne Rooney went British with an Aston Martin Vanquish
• One petrolhead player even has a £4million car collection

The World Cup is approaching and excitement is building at 100 mph, but that's nothing compared to the top speed of these stars' motors.
Whether going for the class of a Maybach, or the speed of a Ferrari, these stars have the money and fuel to burn. One footballing petrolhead even has a £4million colleciton. Check out the expensive engines below.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo – Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
Officially recognised as the best player in the world, Ronaldo’s car exudes the same type of panache the Real Madrid man does with the ball. The Lamborghini Aventador is not a shy car with a lofty 700 brake horsepower (BHP) to help the vehicle reach a top speed of 217mph.
The Ballon d’Or winner’s car comes in a stealthy matte black to add that extra touch of understated style. However all this flash will set you back a hefty £267,000.

Power: Cristiano Ronaldo won the Balon d'Or for his performances for Real Madrid and Portugal

Top speed: Ronaldo taking a drive with his son in a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4

Lionel Messi – Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale
A car befitting of a player held in the same regard as the greatest of all time. When needing to get from A to B, Messi uses a his Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale.
His vehicle comes in a clean looking white, reaches a top speed of 188mph and costs upwards of £107,000. Certainly a worthy drive for the only man who can stand toe-to-toe with Ronaldo in world football.

Magician: Lionel Messi will be hoping for a superb World Cup having scored just once in the competition

Best for the best: Argentina star Lionel Messi parks his Maserati in Barcelona

Wayne Rooney – Aston Martin Vanquish
For the talismanic Englishman it is fitting to choose a car that is British. The Aston Martin Vanquish is a car which expresses the same class on the road that Rooney does on the field.
It set Rooney back £166,000, but with a top speed of 183mph and a booming engine of 565 BHP it is most certainly a car for a superstar.

British man: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney's choice of car is quintessentially British

Wazza: Wayne Rooney arrived to training with Manchester United in his Aston Martin Vanquish

Samuel Eto’o – Maybach 57 S Xanatec Coupe
At one time Eto’o was the highest paid player in the world. He is said to have a fleet of cars costing an astonishing £3.98million. Of his collection the car that stands out is his Maybach Xanantec Coupe. It costs £600,000 and has a huge presence on the road, similar to that of the Cameroonian captain’s on the pitch.
He has also been seen driving around the streets of Knightbridge in his Aston Martin One-77.

Outstanding: Samuel Eto'o's huge Maybach Xanantec Coupe costs £600,000

Flash: Samuel Eto'o poses with his two Maybachs, and has a collection worth around £4million

Mario Balotelli - Ferrari F12
Super Mario is not known for being sky, and this Ferrari 12 is a perfect match to the Italian's fiery personality. In Milan red, the former Man City star has made a change from his Bentley Continental Supersports in camouflage, which he used to roam the streets of Manchester during his time in England.
Here he is, giving it a good hose down. Boys and their toys at the highest level.

Gunned: Italy striker Mario Balotelli sprays his Ferrari F12 down at the car wash

Classic: Former Man City star Balotelli shops in Italy with his car, in fiery Milan red

Star man: Balotelli will perform on football's centre stage with Italy in Brazil

Neymar – Audi R8 GT
The man with the weight of a nation on his shoulders and the face of the Brazil World Cup. The talented forward chooses to cruise the roads in the Audi R8 GT. Costing nearly £148,000, it reaches top speeds of nearly 200mph.
Neymar has decided to keep the design simple and sleek in a bright white paint job and a classical red leather upholstery interior. 

The man: Neymar is expected to be Brazil's star at the World Cup on home soil this summer

Samba style: World Cup poster boy Neymar drives this Audi R8, worth nearly £150,000

 

PS... One man who can take comfort in his motor
Ribery – Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder
Ribery, referred to as ‘the jewel of French football’ by the legendary Zinedine Zidane, will miss out on being the focal point of France’s bid for World Cup glory after picking up an injury.
But Ribery can take comfort on the road with his Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Able to reach 201mph and costing £133,000, his ride comes in an eye catching bright green so he is never out of the spotlight.

Unfortunate: Ribery is unlucky to miss out on France's World Cup campaign with an injury

Motor: Franck Ribery will miss the World Cup, but has this Lamborghini Gallardo to comfort him

Is Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney or Lionel Messi top of the pile?

Brazil kick-off this month's World Cup against Croatia on Thursday, with most of the best on show in South America. But who are the stars earning most money? Sportsmail takes a look at the top 10 highest-paid players - by weekly wage at club level - who will feature in Brazil.

1. Wayne Rooney

Reported Weekly Wage: £300,000
Age: 28
Club: Manchester United
Country: England
Major Sponsors: Harper Collins, Nike, EA Sports, Coca-Cola

Earning 50p a second, Rooney’s new, terrifyingly profitable contract assures he takes first place above his fellow superstars. Striker for a Manchester United side that underperformed last season, he still managed to become the club’s third top scorer of all time, overtaking George Best and Ryan Giggs, and as a result, now has an enormous net worth estimated to be in excess of £60million.

Endorsements earn him a fair wedge, with lucrative deals including Nike and Electronic Arts, the computer gaming company which features Rooney on the front of its best-selling FIFA football games.

He also had his third book, ‘My Decade In The Premier League,’ published in 2012 as part of his deal with Harper Collins.  

All smiles: England talisman Wayne Rooney is on £300,000-a-week at Manchester United

Holding the key: Lionel Messi will attempt to win Argentina's first World Cup since 1986

2. Lionel Messi

Reported Weekly Wage: £292,000
Age: 26
Club: Barcelona
Country: Argentina
Major sponsors: Adidas, Turkish Airlines, PepsiCo, Herbalife, EA Sports, Dolce & Gabanna, Adidas, Gillette

Okay, we kind of cheated by putting Rooney first, because the £300,000 a week figure is before tax.

Messi’s contract, signed last year, sees him earn a reported £292,000 AFTER tax in Spain.

He is often regarded as the best footballer in the world - although he lost the Ballon d’Or crown to Cristiano Ronaldo this season - so it is apt he is paid accordingly. His accolades, just like his salary, are certainly not in short supply.

He broke the 39-year record for most goals in a European club season in 2012 when he finished the season with 73 goals and has won the Ballon d’Or a whopping three times. He is also a three-time winner of FIFA Player of the Year and became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match.

In addition to his gargantuan salary, Messi makes millions more every year from endorsements, the biggest of which is Adidas, who launched his 'icon signature' line in 2013.  

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

Reported Weekly Wage: £288,000
Age: 29
Club: Real Madrid
Country: Portugal
Major sponsors: Nike, Coca-Cola, Castrol, Konami, Motorola, Herbalife, KFC, Tag Heuer, Fly Emirates, Emporio Armani

Ronaldo is reported to earn £288,000 after tax, in a deal similar to his La Liga rival Messi. He is currently reported to be in contract extension talks with Real Madrid, so he could see himself rocketed to the highest paid footballer once again soon. Importantly, he also owns a 50-50 share of his image rights.

His popularity on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have translated into big bucks from sponsors like Nike, Castrol and Konami, all of which he promotes through his own social media accounts.

Not content with monopolising the advertising world, Ronaldo also launched himself into the fashion industry as the ‘spokesmodel’ for Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans in 2009.

In March, a 'Rich List' compiled by Goal.com was topped by Ronaldo, with an estimated net worth of around £122million.

Frightening talent: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world at the moment

4. Robin Van Persie

Reported Weekly Wage: £250,000
Age: 30
Club: Manchester United
Country: Holland
Major Sponsors: Nike, Adidas, BT Sport, Pepsi

With many an achievement to his name, including PFA Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year, it’s no wonder Van Persie left Arsenal to chase for club honours.

Born in Rotterdam, Van Persie is currently the all-time top scorer for Holland. He is also one of world football's top earners. He has been part of major commercial campaigns for huge corporate brands, including Nike, BT Sport and Pepsi, all of which have rendered a tidy sum for the Dutchman. 

Twisting and turning: Robin van Persie is set to link-up with Holland coach Louis van Gaal at Man United

In the money: The Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure has had a very public spat with Manchester City recently

5. Yaya Touré

Reported Weekly Wage: £230,000
Age: 31
Club: Manchester City
Country: Ivory Coast
Major Sponsors: Puma, Ford

With a four-year contract that pays him over £10million a year, there is no surprise that Touré is among the top earners on the pitch. The Ivorian midfielder has had a distinguished international career with 82 caps for the Ivory Coast, representing the team in their first appearance in a World Cup in 2006 and again in 2010. Touré has won the African Footballer of the Year for the last three consecutive years.

In addition to his rewarding salary, he also signed an endorsement deal with Puma that includes distributing the brand’s gear to underprivileged African children.

He is one of the only non-strikers on the list - but despite this, was third top scorer in the Premiership last season chipping in with 20 goals for Manchester City helping them win the title.

Toure looking uncomfortable in Ivory Coast World Cup training

  

6. Sergio Aguero

Reported Weekly Wage: £220,000
Age: 26
Club: Manchester City
Country: Argentina
Major sponsors: Puma, Pepsi

Multiple leg injuries have resulted in a bit of a stop-start career at Manchester City so far for the Argentine, nicknamed ‘Kun’.

However, this has not hindered his relationship with the club who, in May 2013, agreed to give him a contract extension and salary increase that not only keeps him with the club until 2017 but also makes him one of the highest paid football players in the world.

Snappy dresser: Man City's Argentine striker Sergio Aguero is on £220,000-a-week at the Etihad Stadium

7. Luis Suarez

Reported Weekly Wage: £220,000
Age: 27
Club: Liverpool
Country: Uruguay
Major Sponsors: Adidas

Despite Suarez’s turbulent tenure with Liverpool, involving multiple suspensions and an attempted escape to Arsenal, he enhanced his reputation as a world-class footballer last season forming a deadly partnership with Englishman Daniel Sturridge and in turn, earns one of the highest salaries of the Premier League.

As Uruguay’s all-time leading goal scorer with 39 for the national team, Suarez commands the top wage at Liverpool after he was rewarded with a new contract in December.

He was seen as a national hero when he helped lead his country to a fourth place finish in the 2010 World Cup after blocking a goal bound header from Ghana in the quarter-final with his hands. He was sent off, but Ghana missed the penalty and Uruguay went on to go through to the next round. 

Putting his foot through it! Luis Suarez is fighting to get himself fit fort Uruguay's opener against Costa Rica

8. David Silva

Reported Weekly Wage: £200,000
Age: 28
Club: Manchester City
Country: Spain
Major sponsors: Adidas

Nicknamed ‘Merlin’ for his wizard-like passing abilities, Silva signed a five-year contract to make up a reported £200,000 a week playing for Manchester City. Since joining the club, the Spanish midfielder has appeared in over 150 games in three seasons, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Premier League.

He is famously described by his sponsor Adidas as a ‘new brand of player’ with surgical precision and a brain for strategy. Could he fire Spain to a second consecutive World Cup win?

Thinker: David Silva will provide Spain with the incisive sort of intelligent play they are renowned for

Main man: Chelsea's Eden Hazard will be the main spark for dark horses Belgium

9. Eden Hazard

Reported Weekly Wage: £185,000
Age: 23
Club: Chelsea
Country: Belgium
Major sponsors: Nike

Currently regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, even compared to the likes of Zidane, it's not hard for Chelsea to rationalise spending a reported £185,000 a week on the Belgian. With rumours circling that Hazard is a target for Paris Saint-Germain, the Blues have said they are prepared to pay the big bucks to keep hold of him – so he could race up this list in the near future.

Although approached by Adidas, Hazard has remained loyal to his long-term sponsors Nike, with a renewed endorsement contract that is said to make him one of their leading football faces along with Ronaldo, Rooney, Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Incredible! Fernando Torres might be struggling for goals for Chelsea and Spain but he makes the top 10

10. Fernando Torres

Reported Weekly Wage: £175,000
Age: 30
Club: Chelsea
Country: Spain
Sponsorship: Adidas, Pepsi, Aviva,

Despite his outrageously large salary, all that glitters is not gold - throughout his time at the club, Torres has been a disappointment for Chelsea with many a second-rate performance.

It's a far cry from the prolific period he spent at Liverpool, where he became the fastest player in the club's history to score 50 league goals, but something hasn't clicked since his £50million move to the West London club in 2011.

In spite of this, he has been capped over 100 times for his country and is Spain’s third-highest goalscorer of all time.

He also has a couple of high profile endorsement deals with Adidas and Pepsi, as well as a few domestic Spanish brands, boosting his income.

Floyd Mayweather Jnr beats Cristiano Ronaldo

• Mayweather Jnr made $105million for his last two fights
• Tiger Woods down to No 6 after topping list in 11 of last 12 years
• Cristiano Ronaldo was second after earning $80m
• Lebron James was third, just ahead of Lionel Messi

Floyd  Mayweather Jnr has been named the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2103 by Forbes magazine.The pound-for-pound No 1, who has won all 46 of his fights as a professional, made $105million (£62.5m) for his last two fights, against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Marcos Maidana.
Mayweather, 37, beat Cristiano Ronaldo to top spot with basketball star LeBron James in third.

Flash: Floyd Mayweather Jnr, in his £1.8m Bugatti Veyron, leaves the NBA Basketball Finals game in Miami

Mayweather also topped the list in 2013 with $85m (£51m), ousting Tiger Woods who been No 1 for the previous decade.
‘I'm humbled and extremely fortunate to be recognized by Forbes as the highest-paid athlete once again,’ said Mayweather.
‘I'm doing something that no other athlete is doing, promoting myself and seeing my hard work pay off in the form of record-breaking numbers. It's all about hard work and dedication which is so important and a key part of my financial success.
‘I’m grateful for my family, team and fans. Being able to take care of my family is my number one priority and the level of success that I've achieved allows me to give them the best. I look forward to stepping into the ring in September and doing what I do best.’
Mayweather will return to the ring on September 13, possibly in a rematch with Maidana who ran him close in Las Vegas last month.
The five-weight world champion has banked at least $25m (£15m) for his last nine fights since he beat Oscar De La Hoya in the most-watched boxing fight in history in 2007.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is filmed cruising in his new Bugatti car

 

Flush: Mayweather Jnr flashes the cash as he leaves the NBA Basketball Finals

Glamour: Mayweather Jnr and female friend at the NBA Basketball Finals game in Miami

Champion: Mayweather Jr, with pop star Justin Bieber, celebrates victory over Canelo Alvarez

Lucrative: Mayweather Jr made $105m from his fights against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Marcos Maidana

He has earned almost $400m (£238m) since turning professional in 1996 and is the second athlete to earn more than $100m (£59m) in a year, after Woods.

Mayweather did so by spending just 72 minutes in the ring over two fights.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid star Ronaldo leads a group of 15 footballers in the top 100. His endorsements with the likes of Nike and Samsung total $28m (£17m).

Miami Heat’s James is the NBA’s biggest endorsement star thanks to deals with Nike, McDonalds and Coca Cola.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and NBA legend Kobe Bryant complete the top 5 while three women, all tennis players, make the top 100.

Maria Sharapova ranks at No 34, Li Na at No 41 and Serena Williams at No 55.

Fashionably late: Cristiano Ronaldo arrives in Brazil for the World Cup with Portugal teammates

Up there: Miami Heat star LeBron James is third in the rich list

The Forbes list of world's highest-paid athletes

	Total	Salary	Endorsements	Sport
Floyd Mayweather	$105m	$105m	$0m	Boxing
Cristiano Ronaldo	$80m	$52m	$28m	Football
LeBron James	$72.3m	$19.3m	$53m	Basketball
Lionel Messi	$64.7m	$41.7m	$23m	Football
Kobe Bryant	$61.5m	$30.5m	$31m	Basketball
Tiger Woods	$61.2m	$6.2m	$55m	Golf
Roger Federer	$56.2m	$4.2m	$52m	Tennis
Phil Mickelson	$53.2m	$5.2m	$48m	Golf
Rafael Nadal	$44.5m	$14.5	$30m	Tennis
Matt Ryan	$43.8m	$42m	$1.8m	American Football

It's the fire-breathing Fiat!

An Italian mechanic has created the world's most ferocious mini-car.
Dini Gianfranco has transformed his Fiat 500 into a Lamborghini hybrid with an incredible 580 horsepower and top speed of 186mph.
The tiny Italian car has been installed with a monstrous 6.2L V12 engine from a Lamborghini Murcielago - pushing the mini-car to seven times its original top speed and 32 times its original power. 

Turbo-charged: This Fiat 500 has been transformed into a supercar thanks to a Lamborghini engine

Ferocious: The tiny Italian car has been installed with a monstrous 6.2L engine from a Lamborghini Murcielago

Customised: Dini Gianfranco has given his Fiat an incredible 580 horsepower and top speed of 186mph

The 56-year-old mechanic has been working on cars since the age of nine.
He developed a passion for modifying and repairing motors when he worked as an after-school mechanics apprentice.

 The Italian motorhead opened his own workshop in his hometown of Viterbo, Italy, in 1973, having worked in factories and completed his education.

Lifelong dream: The 56-year-old mechanic developed a passion for modifying and repairing motors when he worked as an after-school mechanics apprentice

Labour of love: Mr Gianfranco and his mechanics clocked up 3,000 hours completing the Fiat 500 Lamborghini

Plush: The interior of the finished Fiat 500 Lamborghini, the world's most ferocious mini-car

He said: 'As a teenager, I began to customise a Fiat 500, and installed an Autobianchi A112 Abarth engine with a five-speed gearbox.
'The idea to take the customisations to the next level came about when my son Leonardo joked about installing a Porsche engine in a Fiat 500 after visiting the 2006 Bologna Motor show.'
Mr Gianfranco retrieved a Fiat 500, as well as a motor and gearbox from a Porsche Carrera 3.2L, before working on the bizarre transformation over the course of a year in 2007.
When the first design was completed, Mr Gianfranco and his team of three mechanics wanted a new challenge and continued to make more modifications.

Petrol power: The monstrous 6.2L V12 engine from a Lamborghini Murcielago used in the Fiat

Work in progress: The chassis of the Fiat 500 Lamborghini during the process of transformation

He says: 'The next car was a Fiat 500 Ferrari v8 3.0L which was completed in December 2009 after two years of work. This led to even more appreciation from the public.
'After the Ferrari, we felt so driven to exceed ourselves, which led us to our most recent creation - the Lamborghini.'
Mr Gianfranco and the rest of the mechanics clocked up a total of 3,000 hours, completing the Fiat 500 Lamborghini between January 2010 and December 2012.

Stripped bare: The driver's side of the Fiat 500 which took the team around 3,000 hours to convert

Experienced: Mr Gianfranco opened his own workshop in his hometown of Viterbo, Italy, in 1973

'The Fiat 500 Lamborghini is the most extreme,' he said.
'It has to be my favourite as I feel my creations keep getting better. I would not have been able to achieve this, however, had it not been for the first two cars.'
After test-driving his fire-breathing mini car, Mr Gianfranco plans to sell his latest creation for an undisclosed fee.

Proud: Mr Gianfranco said the Fiat 500 Lamborghini is his 'most extreme' creation

Mr Gianfranco's three creations so far - (L-r) the Fiat 500 Lamborghini, Fiat 500 Ferrari and Fiat 500 Porsche

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Kasut Emas Piala Dunia

It's a knock-off! China's copycat culture

China is already renowned for copying Western goods from trainers to champagne.
Now it is building a replica reputation in the world of architecture, with miniature versions Mount Rushmore, the Egyptian pyramids and the Manhattan skyline - to name a few - springing up all over the country.
The reproduced structures — also dubbed 'duplitecture' — can appear bizarre to outsiders but make sense to many in the country.
'I think it's a good thing. I can see things from places that I’ve never been,' said a man surnamed Fu, 32, sitting in a Chongqing park scattered with sculptures including Michelangelo's David, Rodin’s Thinker and the gigantic heads of four American presidents.     
                                         

Fabricating the Pharaohs: People walk past a copy of one of the Pyramids of Giza at a theme park in the Chinese city of Chongqing

And here's the real thing: The Sphinx is seen in front of the Pyramid of Chephren in Giza, Cairo, iconic landmarks which have inspired architecture in China

Elsewhere in the southwestern city, a set of curved white buildings under construction have sparked controversy for their striking resemblance to a Beijing development by star British architect Zaha Hadid.      
Copying was 'something China does', a retired judge said as she walked past the site, adding: 'I think it’s a good thing — we can learn from the experience of others.'
The director of Hadid's Beijing project was less positive, reportedly calling the property company 'pirates'.

 The company has denied copying, telling news agency AFP that it had reached an agreement with the original developer, which declined to comment

The 'duplitecture' trend developed alongside China’s real estate boom in recent decades, especially for creations conveying prestige and success, said Bianca Bosker, the New York-based author of Original Copies: Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China.

A slice of the Big Apple: A theme park in Chongqing features a condensed version of the famous New York skyline as China builds a reputation for replicas

The real Manhattan skyline: A 27-year-old woman surnamed Huang, who walked past the fake New York in Chongqing, said her compatriots should embrace their own heritage

Among the most eye-popping examples are a copy of the Austrian alpine village and Unesco World Heritage Site of Hallstatt in the southern province of Guangdong, which even the official news agency Xinhua called 'a bold example of China’s knock-off culture'.
An assemblage of Parisian monuments including the Eiffel Tower and a fountain from Versailles stand in Hangzhou, as does a French village.
Hebei province has an imitation Sphinx, while outside Shanghai sits Thames Town, an English-themed suburb featuring a statue of Winston Churchill, a church from Bristol and lookalikes of guards at Buckingham Palace.
The imitations are open to mockery, but Bosker says that such replicas provide an easy way to convey prestige on a huge scale.

Cut down to size: A replica of Mount Rushmore featuring U.S. presidents (l-r) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in Chongqing

Towering landmark: The original features 60ft heads carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States

'In the U.S., we see people who copy as unimaginative thieves. In China copiers have been viewed with more nuance — copying can be a sign of skill and it can also just be a really practical solution to a problem,' she told AFP.
'Developers wanted a way to brand their developments and the home owners wanted a way to brand their lifestyle and their economic success.
'And one of the easiest solutions to that was to copy architecture that was most emblematic of a kind of aristocratic and 'sophisticated'-seeming lifestyle,' she said, citing Versailles, Venice and the White House as popular models.
That pragmatic streak also drives the mass production of knockoffs including Italian handbags, Swiss watches, French wine, Hollywood films and iPhones, while the southwestern city of Kunming once even hosted a fake Apple store.
In Dafen, part of the boom town of Shenzhen next to Hong Kong, an army of artists duplicate masterpieces ranging from Vincent van Gogh to Jackson Pollock.

Great Small of China: A woman walks along a replica of the Chinese landmark at a park in Chongqing. The reproduced structures are known by some as 'duplitecture'

As far as the eye can see: The original Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications that stretch for some 21,000km across the country

The fakes allow Chinese to enjoy what they could not otherwise afford, said a young man strolling at an amusement park in Chongqing featuring a miniature New York, Venice-like canals and Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue rotating atop a ride.
'In terms of respecting others’ creativity, it’s not okay. But for a China that’s still developing, for a certain time there’s a use for it,' he said.
'When China’s economy becomes developed enough, then there won’t be a market for copied goods.'
Even so, the rampant imitation raises questions of national pride in a country boasting a rich history and now regaining global clout.
In March, Renmin University president Chen Yulu urged his countrymen to 'refrain from copying European architectural styles and work harder to promote local culture', Xinhua paraphrased him as saying, while itself warning of an 'eerie copycat architectural landscape'.

'Pirates': These curved buildings in Chongqing have sparked controversy for their striking resemblance to a Beijing development by star British architect Zaha Hadid

Design theft: The director of Hadid's Beijing project (above) reportedly described the property company building a similar version in Chongqinq as 'pirates'

As China rises in stature and wealth, it will increasingly seek inspiration from within, said Bosker, adding that already 'there seems to be a new confidence and interest in their own indigenous styles'.
At the park with the Mount Rushmore replica, a man in his 20s surnamed Mao argued that China's neighbours mimicked its culture when it held greater sway in the past, and would do so again as the country reclaims the stage.
'If people have something good then we will copy it,' he said. 'This is something every country, every society does, not only China.'
But a 27-year-old woman surnamed Huang, walking past the fake Manhattan with a friend, said her compatriots should embrace their own heritage.
'It seems like Chinese people have this view that anything foreign is good, that anything with English writing, whether or not they can read it, is good,' she said.
'China is not inferior to anyone, but nobody really cares a lot about China’s ancient past.'