Mathieu Flamini, ex-OM and Arsenal midfielder, becomes multibillionaire at 42 through green chemistry

Mathieu Flamini, former French international midfielder who played for OM, Arsenal and AC Milan, now heads a fortune estimated at nearly €12 billion according to Forbes, thanks to co-founding GFBiochemicals, a company specializing in green chemistry.

It all started in Milan. Between his two spells at Arsenal (2004-2008 then 2013-2016), Flamini played for the Rossoneri and began, alongside his sporting career, to prepare for life after football. It was in this context that he became interested in green chemistry and laid the foundations for what would become his industrial empire.

“After naps, some players prefer playing PlayStation, shopping or going for a walk. I decided to take a slightly different path: learning and developing myself,” he confided in the Anatomie d’une décision podcast on L’Express. A deliberate discretion: for years, his teammates knew nothing of his entrepreneurial activities.

Trained at OM, Flamini left Marseille in 2003 after just one season as a professional, refusing the contract offered by the club to join Arsenal. “A fine betrayal,” his coach José Anigo had said at the time. Three France caps later, the Marseille native ended his career at Getafe in 2019, after a spell at Crystal Palace.

The irony of his journey is not lost on him. “Life is a paradox because at school, I didn’t much like two subjects: English and chemistry. And today, I speak 90% in English and find myself heading a green chemistry group,” he smiles. Holder of a baccalauréat ES and a law degree, Flamini had the foundations to make this career change, which he also attributes to an early environmental awareness: “From a very young age, I had the opportunity to understand the negative impacts of humanity on the planet.”

With a fortune now estimated at over £10 billion, or nearly €12 billion, Mathieu Flamini stands as one of the world’s most successful reconverted athletes.