Owen, Flamini, Gravesen: 9 footballers who made big money after retiring

Billionaire businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe made headlines around the world earlier this week when he announced his interest in purchasing Manchester United from current owners, the Glazer family.

With a reported net worth of £12.58 billion, Britain’s richest man could meet the Glazers’ £6bn valuation of the club with ease.

Surprisingly, though, so could former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini.

While there’s absolutely no suggestion that the Frenchman would want to take over at Old Trafford, a highly successful post-football career has placed Flamini in a position to do pretty much whatever he pleases.

Top-flight footballers earn sums during their playing careers that most of us can only dream about. However, a select few – including Flamini – have gone on to achieve even greater riches in non-footballing ventures after fading out of the limelight.

We’ve taken a look at nine of the most noteworthy examples below.

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Former Sunderland striker Gyan has been without a club since October 2021, yet optimistically claims that he still wants to represent Ghana at the World Cup later this year.

We can’t see it, not least because Gyan oversees a business empire worth a total of £16.6 million according to Sports Brief.

The man is involved in a dizzying number of ventures including his own airline and brands of bottled water and noodles. He also owns a boxing promotion and has investments in both property and the music business.

Following his 2013 retirement, Saha came up with the idea of creating a social network for professional sports stars. Shortly after, AxisStars – a service connecting athletes with business brands was born.

Per Rocket Reach, the business