Footballers are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world, although there are relatively few of them who have become billionaires.
While most football players make the majority of their wealth while they are still playing, others have made vast sums of money during their post-playing days.
For example, last year it was widely reported that Mathieu Flamini had become a billionaire, thanks to his involvement in GF Biochemicals.
However, he’s since debunked those claims and has clarified that his personal net worth is much smaller than reported.
With that in mind, we’ve managed to find three current and former footballers who are supposedly billionaires in 2025.
Cristiano Ronaldo
After penning his new blockbuster contract with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has reportedly become the first self-made billionaire from playing football.
While there were claims from June 2020 that Ronaldo had already reached billionaire status, those reports were slightly misleading as they reflected his total income over time, not taking into consideration taxes or expenses.
However, having recently announced his decision to remain in Saudi Arabia, it has been reported that CR7 is now officially a billionaire.
Back in May, Ronaldo topped Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes in the world, earning considerably more than the likes of Steph Curry, Lionel Messi, LeBron James and Tyson Fury.
As part of his new deal with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo will reportedly earn £488,000 per day, equal to £3.42million per week – and that’s before you take endorsements and sponsorships into consideration.
Earning that sort of money, it’s no wonder that he’s extended his contract until 2027.
Faiq Bolkiah
Unlike Ronaldo, Bolkiah’s wealth hasn’t come from his playing career.
The 27-year-old winger had stints with Southampton, Chelsea and Leicester as a youngster and nowadays plays for Ratchaburi in the top division of Thailand.
Given his relatively modest football career, you might be wondering where his billionaire status comes from. Well, that’s because he’s a member of the Brunei royal family.
It’s difficult to get a full grasp of Bolkiah’s own personal wealth, but he’s been classified as a billionaire by several sources thanks to his family ties.
“Whatever people write and everything, I would say I’m just a very simple person, the same schedule every day,” Bolkiah said upon moving to Thailand in 2021.
“I like to focus on football. I don’t like to focus on anything outside.”
By all accounts, Bolkiah is a grounded individual and he hasn’t let his potential inheritance skew his motivation to push himself.
“You couldn’t have come across a more normal kid,” his former youth coach, Paul Morgan, told The Athletic in 2020.
“He wasn’t affected by his privileged background at all.”
Louis Saha
Having played for the likes of Manchester United, Fulham and Everton, Saha will have made a handsome amount from his playing career, but that’s nothing in comparison to his post-retirement wealth.
After hanging up his boots, the Frenchman co-founded AxisStar, a social media platform designed to connect athletes with trusted service providers and brands.
By all accounts, the business has been a roaring success, as it’s reportedly valued at over £4billion.
Along with his business ventures, Saha still keeps up with the world of football and regularly takes up punditry roles for Premier League matches.
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