Truth behind ex-Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini becoming 'billionaire' after quitting football

Posted Monday, March 08, 2021 by Dailystar.co.uk

Arsenal hero Mathieu Flamini has reportedly become a billionaire since stepping away from football, but the former midfielder has played down talk of being one of the sport's richest figures

Former Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini has been reported to have become a billionaire following his business ventures after his playing career.

Flamini experienced a journeyman career that took him from France to Spain via England and Italy. Although he has never formally hung up his boots, Flamini has not made a professional appearance since he turned out for Getafe in May 2019.

A quick look at his twitter confirms this. His photos and bio are reserved for his business and there is little mention of football.

Flamini was never the standout player on the pitch. He often played a supporting role to players such as Ronaldinho, Kaka, and Thierry Henry.

However, he was always aware of his platform and wanted to make a change.

Former Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini has been reported to have become a billionaire following his business ventures after his playing career

Flamini was born in Corsica and grew up in Marseille, where he was surrounded by nature.

When speaking to The Telegraph last April, he said: "When you come from such a place you are taught to live with nature. From an early age, I’ve always felt connected to it.”

He continued: “Living by the sea, growing up, I got exposed to many of the world’s problems, like plastic in the sea. You could see we were not going in the right direction."

Truth behind ex-Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini becoming 'billionaire' after quitting football
Flamini racked up 246 appearances in two spells with the Gunners (Image: X01095)

When playing for Milan in 2008 he met Pasquale Granata, and the pair established GFBioChemicals. The GF, at the start of the name, standing for their initials.

GFBioChemicals is a 'clean energy' business that focuses on manufacturing sustainable alternatives to crude oil.

He left Milan in 2013, when a return to Arsenal beckoned. Here, Flamini launched his second business alongside Mesut Ozil. Their brand - Unity - specialises in eco-friendly skincare.

The ex-midfielder owns a 'clean energy' business that focuses on manufacturing sustainable alternatives to crude oil (Image: Instagram: @mathieuflamini)

He also launched a second business with former Arsenal team-mate Mesut Ozil which specialises in eco-friendly skincare (Image: GETTY)

The Unity brand expanded last November. The Unity Performance Academy was launched to help athletes reach peak performance through mindset, nutrition, training, and recovery.

With all these companies, and his football earnings, Flamini's net worth has been reported around the £30billion mark.

This would place him as the second most valuable footballer on the planet: behind Leicester's Faiq Bolkiah, who is Brunei royalty. And, interestingly, ahead of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Truth behind ex-Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini becoming 'billionaire' after quitting football
It has been claimed that Flamini is worth a staggering £30billion, which would place him ahead of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the world's most valuable footballer charts (Image: REUTERS)

However, Flamini has repeatedly rebuffed these claims. Instead, insisting that figure is the sum of the entire market that his businesses are trying to break into.

Goal, instead, estimates Flamini's net worth at around £20million.

These reports are nothing new; there was even a running joke at Arsenal he could afford to buy the club.

Truth behind ex-Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini becoming 'billionaire' after quitting football
But the Frenchman has played down such rumours

Equally, Flamini has repeatedly suggested it's not the money that drives him. He's an activist - it's outlined in his Twitter bio - and wants to use his platform to speak out about, and act upon, social issues.

Flamini left England in 2018, when he joined Getafe; he went on to make 18 appearances over two spells for the club. Flamini has been out of football for a year-and-a-half now, and he is getting ready to celebrate his 37th birthday. However, Flamini still sees a future in football.