Saturday. 12.45pm. Stamford Bridge.

After what seems like an eternity the Premier League returns with Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea taking on Phil Brown’s Hull.

Eternity, for a top flight football fan, is from May 24 to August 15 – a pains-staking 83 days of hope, pain and pre-season transfer speculation.

Pre-season has been one of the maddest ever with Ronaldo leaving Man United for £80 million, replaced for free by former Liverpool star Michael Owen. Both of whom have appeared prominently on Auto Trader over the summer.

When it was announced Ronaldo would be heading to sunnier surroundings, he got in contact with a dealer to sell his Bentley and Mercedes on Auto Trader. Both models sold almost instantly with the £10k Merc now on the drive of one of Ron’s fans.

Gallery: Ronaldo's cars

What did Ronaldo buy? A Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano – the same as the one he wrote off in a Manchester tunnel in January. 

Gallery: Ronaldo's Ferrari 599s

Michael Owen playing for Manchester United? It’s something no Liverpool fan ever wanted to see but it’s happened.

While the historic signing was taking place, Owen’s Ferrari 599 popped up on the UK’s biggest motoring site, promptly finding a new owner. He was snapped driving to his medical at the Old Trafford club in a BMW 6 Series – a bit of a step down we reckon…

Another high profile footballer on the move was Peter Crouch who signed for Spurs from Portsmouth. His old car, a Bentley Flying Spur, was for sale on Auto Trader as the deal was going through.

Gallery: Peter Crouch's old Bentley

Crouch and Owen were just a small handful of England internationals past and present who had cars for sale on Auto Trader during pre-season. The list includes:

• David Beckham’s Bentley Arnage T
• Wayne Rooney’s Mercedes CLK DTM AMG
• Wayne Rooney’s Mercedes G55 AMG
• Wayne Rooney’s Aston Martin Vanquish
• Rio Ferdinand’s Bentley Continental
• Robbie Fowler’s Audi R8
• Paul Robinson’s Aston Martin DB9
• Frank Lampard’s Mercedes SL500

They’re the footballers who’ve had their old cars flogged but what about those buying new models?

Spurs and England star Jermaine Jenas has been spotted driving a Revere-tuned Range Rover, Blackburn’s Benni McCarthy has a matt black Bentley Continental GTC and Ashley Cole is driving a new Mercedes CL.

Over in the mad world of oil-Sheikh owned Manchester City, where every fuel tank fill-up helps Mark Hughes sign a couple more players, the team’s stars turned up for training in an array of motors.

Stephen Ireland was in his black Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder while Micah Richards was in a Techart-tuned Porsche Cayenne. But these two more senior stars were overshadowed by third choice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel who was driving a white VW Scirocco.

And finally…

Sunderland star Grant Leadbitter appeared in the news yesterday.

He was banned from driving for 14 days after accelerating to 112mph in his BMW M6. He told Gateshead Magistrates’ Court he thought he was being followed by Newcastle United fans, only for the Volvo to be a police car.

Gallery: Wayne Rooney's £1.4 million car history

Gallery: Celebrity cars for sale