Soccer is a very lucrative sport for those who play in it, especially for those who are the best at it. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are some of the highest-paid players on the planet and make millions of dollars from salary, endorsement deals, and other associated businesses.
Cristiano Ronaldo himself is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, with a lot of business enterprises. However, despite his vast wealth, the Portuguese forward is actually dwarfed in comparison to another former soccer player. And that player is none other than Mathieu Flamini.
Who is ex-Arsenal player Mathieu Flamini?
Flamini, a former French international, used to play as a midfielder and played for clubs like Marseille, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, AC Milan, and Getafe. However, his time at Arsenal is mostly remembered, for whom he played the most games. He also has only three international caps for France.
Flamini was a youth product at Marseille but later shifted to Arsenal. His first stint was from 2004 to 2008, but he came back between 2013 and 2016. He was quite good for them as well, and he is somewhat well known by the Gunners’ fans. Arsene Wenger often praised the player as well. Flamini would finally retire in 2019 for Getafe. He is only 39 currently, just one year older than Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still in top form.
However, Flamini, despite having vast potential, never lived up to expectations. Soccer might not have been his things, as it seems that he found his calling in another way.
Flamini’s company is 40 times Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth
After retiring from the sport, Flamini decided to enter the business world. He co-founded GF Biochemicals, which produces the most amount of levulinic acid and it’s derivatives. It is a highly sought-out chemical and that has made Flamini much money.
A 2020 report by Forbes said that both Flamini and his business partner, Pasquale Granata, are worth around ÂŁ10 billion each. That sum is obviously even worth more now, with some sources indicating he has doubled his net worth since then.
This makes him one of the richest soccer players ever, dwarfing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and others. Ronaldo also has a huge business enterprise, with a hotel to his name, and recently invested much money into a soccer game. Despite all of this, in comparison to Flamini, he has a net worth of only ÂŁ615 million. This means that Flamini is worth 40 times more than the Portuguese legend, despite the latter signing a record deal at Al Nassr.
And so it seems that you may be the most famous athlete, but that doesn’t mean you will be the richest. Mathieu Flamini may not have had a great career, but he is certainly living a great life now.
