{"id":523241,"date":"2025-10-23T22:38:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/523241\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T22:38:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:38:14","slug":"ex-premier-league-star-worth-10bn-meets-with-king-charles-after-career-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/523241\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Premier League star worth \u00a310bn meets with King Charles after career switch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The former Arsenal man retired from football in 2019 and has since made a drastic career change.<\/p>\n<p>17:12, 23 Oct 2025Updated 17:36, 23 Oct 2025<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_Matheu-FlaminiPNG.png\" alt=\"Former Arsenal midfielder Matheu Flamini meets King Charles III\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Former Arsenal midfielder Matheu Flamini meets King Charles III(Image: Matheu Flamini Instagram )<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini has met King Charles III following a major career change after retiring from football. The Frenchman made 246 appearances in two spells for the Gunners, before leaving on a free transfer in 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">He is now the CEO of GF Biochemicals and has a net worth estimated to be around \u00a310billion. He has taken to social media to share a photo of him meeting the king.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">&#8220;Last week, I had the honor of joining the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, where global leaders and Indigenous voices are shaping the future of the bioeconomy,&#8221; he wrote on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/instagram\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>. Proud that GFBiochemicals stood alongside visionaries building a sustainable <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">world<\/a> under the guidance of His Majesty <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/king-charles-iii\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">King Charles<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/wrexham-ryan-reynolds-championship-relegation-36120068\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36120068\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ryan Reynolds&#8217; Wrexham tipped for relegation scrap in brutal supercomputer prediction<\/a>READ MORE: <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/liverpool-arsenal-title-race-overlap-36118725\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36118725\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arsenal hero Ian Wright doesn&#8217;t hold back with brutal Liverpool title race verdict<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">The now 41-year-old actually had two spells at <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/arsenal-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Arsenal<\/a>. The first came between 2004 and 2008. He then made a return to the Emirates Stadium in 2013.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">During his time with the club, he won five trophies including three FA Cups and two Community Shields. Arsenal weren&#8217;t the only <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/premier-league\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Premier League<\/a> team he played for either, with the midfielder spending a short stint with <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/crystal-palace-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Crystal Palace<\/a> following his second exit from Arsenal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">He made just 13 appearances for the Eagles before moving to Spanish side Getafe on a free transfer in the summer of 2018, and retired a year later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Flamini actually founded his company nine years before his retirement, but took a more hands-on role following his exit from the footballing world. <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/arsenal-mathieu-flamini-billionaire-networth-26889789\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Becoming CEO saw him take a 60% stake<\/a> and boot his net worth to a reported \u00a310bn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">GF Biochemicals aims to provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemicals, which would allow the manufacture of products without harming the environment. It&#8217;s not the only business he runs, with the former midfielder also teaming up with former Arsenal teammate <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/mesut-ozil\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Mesut Ozil<\/a> for healthy business Unity Performance Lab.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">Flamini has previously explained his career change following retirement. &#8220;As a child I had two passions: football and sustainability,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">&#8220;I grew up in Marseille near the sea, and was aware of the environmental questions around ocean plastics and chemical pollution from a very young age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">&#8220;We didn&#8217;t know if it&#8217;d be energy, chemical or urban recycling, and we just ended up meeting with a team of scientists in Milan and started moving in that direction.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">He added: &#8220;Now the question is when do I not work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\">&#8220;When you&#8217;re an entrepreneur you have to be dedicated and you don&#8217;t count the hours. I&#8217;m not working when I sleep, but for the rest of the time I&#8217;m available.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"mirror\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/KLOUWbmSQd86jj7ZbbVOHa\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you&#8217;re curious, you can read our <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/site-services\/privacy-policy\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Get up to 60% off Premier League kits and merch<\/p>\n<p>This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/affiliates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn more<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761259094_670_0_Untitled-8jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Various<\/p>\n<p>Fanatics<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"AffiliateContent_content-buy-btn__xWiVO buy-btn\" aria-label=\"Buy button\" href=\"https:\/\/fanatics.93n6tx.net\/c\/344386\/586570\/9663?subId1=Mirror&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanatics.co.uk%2Fen%2Fpremier-league%2Fsale-items%2Fo-10195906%2Bos-34%2Bz-928056-907189643\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Shop the sale here<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Fanatics has slashed up to 60% off football kits and merch. Until Sunday, fans can find discounts on products from Premier League clubs including Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The former Arsenal man retired from football in 2019 and has since made a drastic career change. 17:12,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":523242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[6167,7709,7730,7731,1760,518,101,7710,519],"class_list":{"0":"post-523241","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-arsenal-fc","9":"tag-british-royal-family","10":"tag-charles","11":"tag-charles-iii","12":"tag-king-charles","13":"tag-king-charles-iii","14":"tag-premier-league","15":"tag-royal-families","16":"tag-royal-family"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115425883434864512","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}