There's quite a contrast between Cristiano Ronaldo and Mathieu Flamini in their football careers, but it's the former Arsenal player who undeniably achieved more success beyond the pitch.
While Ronaldo will eventually retire with an impressive legacy, numerous scoring records, and a collection of domestic and European trophies, Flamini's notable achievements include two FA Cup victories and just a single Serie A title.
The French midfielder, who practised his footballing trade in north London from 2004 to 2008, and later from 2013 to 2016 has instead enjoyed resounding success with his business venture.
The foundations were laid while at AC Milan when the former midfielder and his economics graduate business partner, Pasquale Granata, established the company 'GF Biochemicals' to influence the energy industry.
Flamini went on to play for Crystal Palace and Getafe before retiring in 2019 at the age of 39. By that point, he had invested millions into his company with the goal of producing levulinic acid, a synthetic oil substitute made from wood and corn waste.
In 2015, the company became the first in the world to mass-produce the acid, which can replace oil in various material manufacturing processes. Flamini's contribution as the former French midfielder earned him recognition as one of the People of the Year in 2015 by the NME.
At the time, Flamini explained what led him to combine business and football, telling Sifted: "As a child, I had two passions: football and sustainability. I grew up in Marseilles near the sea, and was aware of the environmental questions around ocean plastics and chemical pollution from a very young age."
Flamini is the official CEO of the company, valued at a remarkable £21 billion as per English media. To put this into perspective, that surpasses Ronaldo's impressive net worth of £500 million by more than 40 times. Ronaldo's substantial earnings include a substantial deal he secured in Saudi Arabia.
