The British newspaper "Daily Mail" highlighted the success of French player Mathieu Flamini outside of football, as he, along with a partner, founded a company called "GF Biochemicals" focused on biochemical research. Reports indicate that Flamini, a former Arsenal and AC Milan player, has achieved great success beyond the world of football, surpassing the wealth of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo by a huge margin.
Mathieu Flamini played for Arsenal in 246 matches over two different periods between 2004 and 2016. According to the "Daily Mail," Flamini established the company with a friend in 2008, investing millions in research, experiments, infrastructure, and employee salaries, with the hope of producing "levulinic acid," a substitute for industrial oil made from wood and corn waste.
By 2015, the company became the first in the world capable of producing the acid in large quantities to replace oil in pharmaceuticals, plastics, cosmetics, and more. According to the newspaper, after about 15 years since its founding, the company's value reached £21 billion, approximately 40 times more than Ronaldo's astonishing net worth of £500 million.
In a recent interview, the retired French player, who now serves as the company's CEO, said: "As a child, I had two passions: football and sustainability." He added, "I grew up in Marseille near the sea, and I was aware of environmental issues related to ocean plastics and chemical pollution from a very young age." In an interview with the "Sunday Times," he mentioned, "Sometimes I had to go to training wearing a suit, and when you go to training most of the time, you wear tennis shoes, sports gear, and a shirt."
Flamini concluded: "So we all laughed with the boys, and they joked (Oh, you’re the best businessman!), but it's clear that biochemicals aren't always what we talk about in the locker room."
