Mathieu Flamini - Arsenal Legend to Billionaire Entrepreneur

Mathieu Flamini, the former Arsenal player best known for his two stints at the club where he won four FA Cups and a community shield, alongside reaching the 2006 Champions League final, is one of the rare figures in football who are as outspoken about the environment and sustainability as the multi-time F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel. He invested in organic substitutes of petroleum as early as 2008, is now a billionaire biochemical entrepreneur, and regularly talks about the need to democratise access to healthy living. But this is not all that there is to his story, for his visions and ideals extend beyond the sport.
How Mathieu Flamini became Billionaire Biochemical Entrepreneur?
Mathieu Flamini, with a net worth of £10 Billion (€11.7 billion), was an early investor in GFBiochemicals, which are now among the biggest players in the market for Levulinic Acid, to thank for much of his wealth. Flamini derives his fortune from the 60% stake he is known to hold within the company, which works to provide an alternative to petroleum in the manufacturing of many products, from solvents to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The Frenchman is named a co-founder of the company, alongside Italian biochemical entrepreneur Pasquale Granata.
This is very in character for Mathieu, who only dropped out of Law school because he had to decide between the sport and the subject. Despite this, he is also known to have gone through the UEFA playbook in 2007 when he was unsatisfied with his playing time and devised a marvellous strategy that made Arsene Wenger personally reassure him of more time, which led to him turning into a fan favourite the following season.
Blessing in Disguise
The period where his fortune and company grew was also one where his career saw a phase of injuries, most notably before the beginning of the 2011 season, where a crucial knee injury curtailed his play time significantly.
During his recovery from many injuries and setbacks, the exposure to high-quality nutritional advice and physical training motivated Flamini, who is keenly aware of the privileges of a professional footballer, to bring the tools of self-actualising one’s physical well-being to the general public. For a footballer with a net worth even greater than Cristiano Ronaldo, this is reflective of his humble origins in Marseille, where he grew up and played until his move to Arsenal. Flamini, in an exclusive interview with Forbes magazine, revealed his service called Unity, which started with his former teammate and close friend, Mesut Özil. As part of this service, meant to initially be free, regular people may be able to access advice from some of the biggest experts to achieve the healthiest versions of themselves.
Giving out to others is more important than Riches
Giving out to others, for Mathieu Flamini, is more important than his riches. The player is often hesitant to discuss the actual scale of his businesses, preferring to stress more on the importance of the work he decides to undertake. He has talked extensively about how his upbringing, particularly his early experiences with scuba diving and plastic pollution, has motivated his endeavours in both alternatives for petrochemicals that make plastic non-biodegradable to the microplastics that we all consume in our daily diets and living.
Thus, Mathieu Flamini (who by 2018 was already one of the richest Frenchmen involved in the sport) may be known either for his on-field performances or the company he credits his wealth to, but the real personality of this man is something much greater. He tends to emphasise the connection he has to the past and his roots, and he is aware of the need to be a role model for the future that is more livable for all. As the player himself puts it, “When you see Greta Thunberg bringing a generation of kids onto the streets, I feel I have this responsibility towards the next generation. We created the problem. We have to be part of the solution.”
Summary
Here is the story of a footballer who became a billionaire after retirement. Former Arsenal, Marseille, and AC Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini may not have packed a serious punch on the football field, but ever since he hung up his boots, his achievements have been astonishing.
Flamini grew up close to the sea in the south of France, in Marseille, and would often see plastic on the shores. In 2008, after moving from Arsenal to AC Milan, Flamini set up meetings with scientists, looking for opportunities in the field of sustainability. In the same year, Flamini co-founded GF Biochemicals, the world's first company to mass-produce levulinic acid, which is paramount in producing environment-friendly biofuels. GF Biochemicals has spent almost a decade figuring out how to produce levulinic acid from agricultural waste products, which helps in replacing toxic products used in paints, cosmetics, perfumes, etc.
As a result of running this thriving business, Flamini's net worth stands at a whopping £10 billion (€11.7 billion), which is miles ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo!
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