Former Arsenal star who owns a multi-BILLION pound company valued at 40 times Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth reveals secrets behind his success

Former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini has quietly become the richest ex-footballer in the world, with a multi-billion pound fortune that makes Cristiano Ronaldo’s wealth look modest by comparison.

The 41-year-old, best known for his tireless performances under Arsène Wenger, now runs a biochemical company reportedly valued close to £20 billion, said to be 40 times the net worth of Cristiano Ronaldo, 40.

But Flamini insists the key to his remarkable rise from the pitch to the boardroom comes down to just three things: passion, dedication and resilience.

Speaking to The Times, he explained: ‘When I said, as a five-year-old, “I want to be a footballer”, people said, “Get your head right. It’s impossible!”

‘It’s about passion and dedication. It’s resilience. And that’s the same if you are a footballer performing in front of millions of people or an entrepreneur, or the CEO of a multinational leading 1,000 people. You have to deal with pressure, be able to inspire and to work as a team.’

Flamini’s playing career spanned Arsenal, AC Milan, Crystal Palace and Getafe, but it was in 2008, while still at the top of his game, that he co-founded GFBiochemicals, a company focused on creating sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products.

Former midfielder Flamini, now 41, has since become the richest ex-footballer in the world

Flamini’s biochemical company is reportedly worth 40 times the net worth of Cristiano Ronaldo

Now, years after quietly launching the venture, Flamini is a leading voice in climate innovation and environmental responsibility, and one of the wealthiest 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 it 90 per cent of the time. I was really bad at chemistry. And I’m running a biochemical company. I like challenges.’

A lifelong advocate for healthy living, Flamini has followed a plant-based diet since he was 15 and believes that lifestyle helped extend his career. He is also pushing for more sustainability in football, from how shirts are produced to how fans travel to games.

‘Climate change and sustainability is a hot topic these days,’ he said. ‘But we need to understand we are not only thinking about saving the Amazon rainforest. We’re actually thinking about health.

‘Take the Premier League. They have a business model to fulfil for the next 30 years and pollution is becoming a problem. In more parts of the world, kids aren’t practising outdoors because of high pollution.

‘If you have fewer people practising, fewer are following the sport, and the talent base declines. That’s relevant.’

Rather than demanding sweeping change, Flamini believes football’s global reach can drive impact through small, practical steps, including using solar power, recycling materials, offering plant-based food and encouraging fans to travel more sustainably.

Ronaldo, pictured last year alongside partner Georgina Rodriguez, now plays in Saudi Arabia

Flamini (second left) pictured in 2007 when he and his Arsenal team-mates visited the Queen

‘I don’t believe in telling people to stop what they’ve been doing for 20 years,’ he said.

‘You won’t solve a problem that way. What you can do is develop a roadmap so governing bodies and clubs are reducing CO2 as much as possible, with biofuels, with solar energy, by building with recycled materials.

‘And football has a huge reach, so you can make a difference if all of us make small activations — going to a game by bicycle, having a plant-based meal there. Instead of throwing away your old kit, sell it, or donate it to somebody else.’

He may not have scored the most goals or grabbed the biggest headlines during his playing days, but Flamini’s second act is proving to be far more powerful, and even more lucrative.