Man, I found it interesting to discover that the richest player in the world isn't Ronaldo. It's this guy Faiq Bolkiah, nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, with about 20 billion dollars. Like, his money comes from family, not from football itself.

But what really caught my attention was hearing about Mathieu Flamini, former Arsenal and Milan player. This guy is the richest former player in the world in terms of his own businesses. After he stopped playing, he founded a bioproducts company and became a billionaire. Like, he made more money from business than from his player salary. Crazy stuff.

Then there's Cristiano Ronaldo with around 500 million. He's not the richest, but he earns a lot from advertising and brands. Messi has less, about 400 million, but also built solid wealth. Both are the richest former players still active in the world.

Salaries in 2025 got crazy: CR7 earning 220 million a year at Al-Nassr, Messi 135 million at Inter Miami, Neymar 110 million. Like, this is money that transcends football. It’s really business.

There are some other former players who became billionaires after retiring, like Ronaldo Nazário with 160 million. It shows that timing in investments really matters. Those who can turn fame into business come out ahead.