The former midfielder of Arsenal Mathieu Flamini has become quietly become the former richest in the world, with a fortune of several billion books which makes the wealth of Cristiano Ronaldo modest in comparison.
The 41 -year -old man, better known for his tireless performances under Arsène Wenger, now directs a biochemical company which would have evaluated nearly 20 billion pounds sterling, would have 40 times the net value of Cristiano Ronaldo, 40.
But Flamini insists that the key to his remarkable climb of the field in the conference room comes down to three things: passion, dedication and resilience.
Addressing The Times, he explained: “When I said, at the age of five,” I want to be a footballer “, people said:” Make your head. It’s impossible! “”
“It is passion and dedication. It is resilience. And it is the same if you are a footballer in front of millions of people or an entrepreneur, or the CEO of a multinational leading 1,000 people. You have to face the pressure, be able to inspire and work as a team.
Flamini’s game career lasted Arsenal, AC Milan, Crystal Palace and Getafe, but it was in 2008, when he was still at the top of his game, that he co -founded GFBIOCHICALS, a company focused on the creation of lasting alternatives to fossil products.
Mathieu Flamini illustrated celebrating after having marked for Arsenal against Tottenham in 2015
The former Flamini midfielder, now 41, has since become the richest ex-football in the world
The Biochemical Society of Flamini would have 40 times the net value of Cristiano Ronaldo
Now, years after having quietly launched the company, Flamini is a leading voice in climate innovation and environmental responsibility, and one of the richest athletes on the planet.
“In school, I hated speaking English. I used to hide when we were asked to speak it! Now I probably speak 90% of the time. I was really bad in chemistry. And I manage a biochemical company. I like challenges.
A defender of healthy life, Flamini has followed a plant -based diet since he was 15 years old and thinks that the lifestyle has helped prolong his career. He also put pressure for more sustainability in football, how the shirts are produced in the way fans go to games.
“Climate change and sustainability are a hot topic these days,” he said. “But we must understand that we are not only thinking of saving the Amazon forest. We actually think of health.
“Take the Premier League. They have a business model to fill in for the next 30 years and pollution becomes a problem. In more parts of the world, children do not train outside due to high pollution.
“If you have fewer practicing people, less follow sport and the talent base decreases. It is relevant.
Rather than requiring a radical change, Flamini believes that the world scope of football can lead to an impact through small practical steps, in particular by using solar energy, recycling of materials, the supply of food based on plants and the encouragement of fans to travel more in a lasting way.
Ronaldo, illustrated last year alongside his partner Georgina Rodriguez, now plays in Saudi Arabia
Flamini (second on the left) illustrated in 2007 when he and his Arsenal teammates visited the queen
“I don’t think I say to people to stop what they have been doing for 20 years,” he said.
“You will not solve a problem this way. What you can do is develop a roadmap so that guiding bodies and clubs reduce CO2 as much as possible, with biofuels, with solar energy, by building recycled materials.
“And football has a huge range, so you can make a difference if we all make small activations – go to a bicycle game, have a meal made from plants there. Instead of throwing your old kit, selling it or giving it to someone else.
He may not have scored the most goals or made the headlines during his play days, but Flamini’s second act is much more powerful and even more lucrative.