Hey, I discovered something pretty interesting yesterday: the richest players in the world are not who we think they are. Everyone thinks it’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi, but actually the top of the list is a guy named Faiq Bolkiah, nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, with an estimated fortune of 20 billion dollars. Like, his wealth didn’t come from football, it came from inheritance. But it gets interesting because there are other names who built real wealth in the sport.

Talking about the richest players in the world who are still playing, Cristiano Ronaldo has around 500 million considering everything — salary, advertising contracts, hotels, gyms. Messi has about 400 million too, but more discreetly. Neymar is around 200 million. But what caught my attention was Mathieu Flamini, ex-Arsenal, who after hanging up his boots founded a bioproducts company and became a billionaire. In other words, the world’s richest players don’t always get rich just from football.

The salaries nowadays are also crazy. Ronaldo earns 220 million a year at Al-Nassr, Benzema at Al-Ittihad makes 100 million annually. But here’s the point: that’s not all accumulated wealth. It’s money coming in and going out. The difference between earning a lot and being truly rich is like what you do with the money, you know? Investments, side businesses, real estate. The richest players in the world are usually those who did it right.

The clubs are also in this heavy game. Real Madrid is valued at 6.6 billion, Manchester United at 6.5 billion. Behind all this, there’s a billionaire, sovereign fund, royal family injecting cash. It’s an industry, not just football. Those who understand how this market works can see the sport differently.