Once a prominent face in football betting with Arsenal, Marseille, Milan and Crystal Palace, Mathieu Flamini has been making headlines over the last few years for reasons unrelated to the Beautiful Game.
An industrious midfielder turned entrepreneur, Flamini’s journey after football is a long way off the beaten track of coaching or punditry.
His career was not short on success on the field, even if Flamini himself was rarely a player to swing online betting odds.
Playing for some huge clubs, Flamini was renowned for his work-rate and tactical nous, earning praise from Arsene Wenger early in his career. He was also rewarded with a handful of France caps in the late-noughties.
Let’s learn a bit more about the Marseille native.
Net Worth
Estimates of Mathieu Flamini net worth have a massive range. Some claim it is up above £10 billion. The man himself, however, has slammed such suggestions, arguing that he is not a billionaire.
More reasonable figures come in the tens of million, and he was obviously not short on cash following his playing career.
It is in recent years, though, that Flamini has become one of the world’s wealthiest footballers.
A partner in GF Biochemicals, the former Arsenal utility man has committed his post-playing career to renewable energy and trying to tackle climate change.
Company and Other Ventures
Mathieu Flamini founded GF Biochemicals alongside Pasquale Granata in 2010.
Their aim is to provide alternatives to oil-based products, and according to their own website, they are the ‘only company to produce levulinic acid derivatives at commercial scale directly from biomass’.
They acquired Segetis, the leading producer of levulinic acid derivatives, in 2016. Flamini is part-activist, part-businessman, and was central to Europe’s first master’s degree related to bioeconomic education.
He was also a co-founder of The BioJournal, a new online magazine focused on sustainability.
Interviews with the Frenchman have described his infectious enthusiasm for these issues. This isn’t a case of throwing money at a problem, but a former footballer with a deep-held belief that the world needs to change.
Speaking to The Athletic in 2020, Flamini’s commitment to making the world a better place was evident.
He said, “Do you know that today almost every single fish has micro-particles of plastic in it? When you and me are eating fish and other seafood products, we are eating micro-particles of plastic.
"And there are some studies which have been done with the University of Newcastle in Australia and the WWF that show that an average person could consume up to five grams of plastic per week, which is the equivalent of a credit card. My question is, do we all think that’s good for our health?
"For too long we thought that the planet was dissociated from the people. We are guests here. It is literally impossible to live a healthy lifestyle if you don’t live in healthy surroundings. Our surrounding is the planet where we are living.
"And, unfortunately, if we care about our health, which we all do, we have to understand how we can change what’s happening out there. We thought we could close an eye — we can’t anymore."
Around the time of that interview, he had entered into another venture with former teammate and close friend, Mesut Ozil.
The platform, called Unity, was created as a means for professional athletes to share their knowledge with the public on health, fitness and nutrition.
"The reality is that as athletes we have been surrounded by experts on nutrition, mental state, fitness. And what we wanted to do was share some reliable and trusted information.
"What we discovered is most of us are sourcing our information on Google or social media. The question: is that information backed by science? Is that information reliable? Who are the people writing these articles? Are they backed by the big pharmaceuticals?"
Flamini’s irrepressible drive is bound to lead to more investments and projects in the coming years.
Professional Career
Beginning in the Marseille academy, Flamini broke into the first team in 2003-04, and featured in the club’s UEFA Cup final loss at the end of that season.
In an opportunistic move, Arsenal landed Flamini for his first professional contract that summer after the midfielder had made just 24 appearances for his hometown club.
Jose Anigo, Marseille manager at the time, was furious.
"It's a great betrayal. He used me well. It's good for the money that he didn't sign pro with us. His sporting argument that he was afraid of playing less no longer holds. My outlook will never be the same again."
Flamini was an important member of the Arsenal squad, but never nailed down a position. Instead of ascending as a dominant defensive midfielder, it was his energy and versatility that Arsene Wenger valued.
Once his contract came to an end, he opted to head to Italy, with another of the biggest club’s in European football predictions.
Milan again utilised Flamini in a range of roles, but the highlight of his club career came with the Rossoneri when he clocked 23 league appearances in their 2010-11 Scudetto winning campaign.
A severe injury effectively wiped out the following season. By 2013-14, Flamini was training again with Arsenal and ultimately re-signed with the club.
No more than a squad player in his second stint in north London, short spells with Crystal Palace and Getafe followed before retirement.
His playing days might not have lived up to the expectation from when he first signed with Arsenal, but it was a career many would dream of.
Career Statistics
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Marseille 2003-04 – 24 appearances, no goals
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Arsenal 2004-08 – 153 appearances, eight goals
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Milan 2008-13 – 123 appearances, eight goals
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Arsenal 2013-16 – 93 appearances, five goals
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Crystal Palace 2016-17 – 13 appearances, no goals
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Getafe 2018-19 – 21 appearances, no goals
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France 2007-08 – Three caps, no goals
Honours
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FA Cup – 2004-05, 2013-14, 2014-15
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Community Shield – 2014
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Serie A – 2010-11
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Arsenal Player of the Season – 2007-08
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 28th October 2022
