Ex-footballer Gary Neville has been confirmed as a guest dragon on BBC show Dragons’ Den next year.
The Manchester United and England legend, now a Sky Sports pundit, is also a keen businessman. In recent years, he has invested in property development; operates his own hotel; invested in a digital business; launched university UA92; and also owns shares in League Two football club Salford City.
However, Neville is not the first ex-sports star to have taken up entrepreneurism after hanging up their playing boots.
Here are five more stars who swapped the sports pitch for business pitches.
Mathieu Flamini
Whilst having a decent time in his footballing days playing for the likes of Arsenal and AC Milan – plus making three international appearances for France – Mathieu Flamini’s career really took off when he ventured into the world of investing.
Flamini is a co-founder and partner of GF Biochemicals, one of the world’s leading producers of levulinic acid, which is used in various industries as a sustainable alternative in plastics, solvents, fuels and pharmaceutical products.
What’s more, Flamini helped to establish this business in 2010, when he was just 26 years old and still quite early into his football career.
Having only retired from football in 2019, Flamini was technically one of the world’s richest footballers during his playing days due to his success in the business world. In 2020, Forbes estimated Flamini’s net worth at approximately £10 billion, making him richer than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo combined.
Maria Sharapova
One of the world’s most famous tennis stars, Maria Sharapova won all four Grand Slam titles – and she has swung for success in the business world too.
In 2012, Sharapova launched her own confectionary brand, Sugarpova, with the company now valued at a sweet £150 million.
Now retired from tennis, she has also invested in brands such as Tonal and Moonpay, as well as the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). In 2022, she joined the board of directors at luxury fashion brand, Moncler.
In true Neville style, Sharapova has also appeared as a guest investor on Shark Tank – the US equivalent of Dragons’ Den. During her guest appearance on the show, she teamed up with Mark Cuban to invest $900,000 in Bala Bangles, the wrist and ankle weights company.
Shaquille O’Neal
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is one of the world’s most recognisable basketball players – and has continued his winning mentality even after retiring from the court in 2011.
Standing at a whopping 7ft 1in tall, Shaq’s business career has also reached dizzying heights. He has invested stock in some giant companies over the years including Apple, Pepsi and Google – where he was one of the company’s earliest investors.
In more recent years, Shaq has invested heavily in huge food and drink brands – most prominently the burger restaurant chain Five Guys, where he owned and later sold 10% of the company. He has also invested in Krispy Kreme (doughnuts), Auntie Anne’s (pretzels) and in 2019 joined the board of directors at Papa John’s (pizza).
Ryan Bertrand
Potentially following in Flamini’s footsteps, Ryan Bertrand has started to make waves in business ventures off the pitch.
The 33-year-old defender, who has made 19 international appearances for England and last played for Leicester City, founded FinTech brokerage firm Silicon Markets back in 2015 – while he was still playing for Southampton in the Premier League.
Silicon Markets aimed to ‘bridge the gap between trading floors and the retail brokerage sector’ by utilising AI and machine learning. The company was eventually sold to a Malaysian firm, meaning Bertrand saw the entire entrepreneur journey through from start to finish – all before he had even hung up his football boots.
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David Beckham
David Beckham is one of the most recognisable footballers not just in England but the world over, having boasted a hugely successful career on the pitch representing the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy.
Such was Beckham’s fame on the pitch that he was able to build a hugely successful brand off it, one that he used to make a number of very smart business decisions and investments.
The former England captain has made over $30m through his company, DB Ventures Limited, and has pocketed even more through huge brand deals with companies such as Adidas, Pepsi, Sainsbury’s, Emporio Armani and more. He has also been a patron for charities like Unicef, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Help for Heroes.
Meanwhile, Beckham has kept plenty of his investments in the world of football. In 2014, he spent $25m to establish the MLS’ newest club, Inter Miami, who signed superstar Lionel Messi recently.
In 2019, Beckham linked up with Neville and the rest of his ‘Class of 92’ teammates to invest in Salford City – taking a 10% stake in the club.
This feature is courtesy of Betting.com
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