From the midfield to a £10bn empire: Ex-Arsenal Star Flamini named world’s second-richest footballer

Five years after hanging up his boots, former Arsenal and AC Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini has been named the second-wealthiest footballer on the planet—with a net worth reportedly 25 times that of Lionel Messi.

The Frenchman, who retired in 2019, has traded tackles for test tubes. He is the co-founder of GF Biochemicals, the first company capable of mass-producing levulinic acid—a compound widely seen as a potential substitute for petroleum.

According to Forbes, the business is now valued at over £10 billion, catapulting Flamini into a financial stratosphere few athletes ever reach.

“As a child, I had two passions: football and sustainability,” Flamini said in an interview. “I grew up in Marseille, near the sea, and from a very early age, I was aware of the environmental issues surrounding plastics in the ocean and chemical pollution.”

His journey from battling in the midfield to building one of the world’s most revolutionary companies is complete—and profitable. Today, the former defensive enforcer stands as a quiet giant in both sport and green industry.