These Footballers Became Richer After Retiring From The Sport (See Them Here)

Footballer managers in the days gone by who went on to become rich managers will not be considered, rather those who went to invest their career earning will be considered.

So sorry, Sir Alex Ferguson, Zinedane Zidane, Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, Fabio Capello, Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Diego Simeone, Max Allegri, Vicenzo Montella and others.

Those who changed occupation are also considered here. Here are seven footballers who became richer after retirement;

1. Dave Whelan (owner of Wigan Athletic)

After suffering a career ending injury, his club, Blackburn Rovers, gave him £400 and with that same money he bought a small grocery chain and sold it for £1.5 million.

He then flipped that into a fishing store and turned it into the second largest sporting goods retailer in Great Britain. Whelan sold his share in JJB Sports for £190 million and bought his hometown team, Wigan Athletic. He is now worth £190M.

2. Thomas Gravesen

The Danish international invested his career earnings in a number of businesses and is reportedly now worth a staggering £82.6million.

3. Mathieu Flamini

He might not have retired just yet (he plays for Crystal Palace) but Flamini will become a billonaire in the nearest future. Why? Some eight years ago he co-founded a company that he hopes will help save the planet – GF Biochemicals (GFB).

It is a market that could be worth an estimated £20bn and while it has the potential to make him very rich. He invested in the company when he was at AC Milan.

4. Micheal Owen

His wealth comes from owning a stable of luxury horses. He jointly owns Manor House Stables in Malpas, Cheshire, with Andrew Black, the co-founder of Betfair. He is worth at least $68m.

5. Robbie Fowler

In 2005, the former Liverpool and Manchester City captain was listed among the top one thousand richest Brits, with properties that include over 80 terraced houses in Oldham, Liverpool, Scotland and Wales. His property empire is huge.

His Vale of Glamorgan House is worth £1.5 million. Taking all of his assets into account, Fowler has an estimated net worth of over £31 million.

6. Pele

Playing for Santos back in the 1960’s, Pele was rich but not compared to how rich he is now. His fame came from international tournaments like the Club World Cup and the FIFA World Cup which he won three times.

He is reportedly worth about $100m due to his post career earnings and endorsement and also as a FIFA and UNICEF ambassador.

7. Vinnie Jones

The 51-year old who played for Leeds and Wimbledon is now a prolific actor who you must have seen in films like Smokin Aces, Snatch, Mean Machines, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, X-Men: The Last Stand.

He might be worth just $12m but it much more than what he had during his playing career.

*Bonus: David Beckham – In just one year after his 2013 retirement, Beckham had inked sponsorship agreements with Sands, China Auto Rental and the Chinese Super League, while also taking steps towards bringing an MLS franchise to Miami. Now worth over $300m.