Sports

From Rich to Broke: Footballers who went bankrupt after making millions

Published

1 year ago

2023/04/08

It is not surprising footballers make millions during their careers. This is due to the endorsement, sponsorship, and other deals the game attracts.

A footballer’s popularity can also significantly affect their earnings as famous players tend to attract more brand partnerships.

Unfortunately, some of these players, despite all the millions they made during their career, eventually filed for bankruptcy after retirement.

Here are some of them;

Celestine Babayaro

Celestine Babayaro is a popular Nigerian ex-footballer who played as left-back at Chelsea and Newcastle.

He was well played during his time at these premier league clubs in the 2000s.

The public record of the London Gazette revealed the defender was declared bankrupt in January 2011.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho is a former Brazilian player well known for his dribbling skills.

He is one of the most popular Barcelona player of all time and the 2005 Ballon d’or winner.

Ronaldinho was heavily fined for illegal construction in a protected area in Brazil.

Despite remortgaging his property, the former Barcelona star was still unable to cover the debts which saw a judge order for Ronaldinho’s passport to be seized.

he was reported in 2018 to only have €5 in his bank account and Eto’o had to pay his bail when he (Ronaldinho) was arrested in Paraguay for allegedly attempting to enter the country with forged documents.

Emmanuel Eboue

He lost all his money and properties to his wife after the divorce because he signed documents not knowing he willed them to her.

Royston Drenthe

The former Madrid star filed for bankruptcy after revealing he lost 3.2 million pounds.

Asamoah Gyan

Asamoah Gyna declared he had only £600 in his bank account when his wife filed for divorce. Also had his properties in his brother’s name, so she couldn’t get any.

David James

Dabid James lost everything after his wife divorced him and later had to auction his belongings to make money.

Diego Maradona

Late football legend, Maradona, declared bankruptcy in 2009 after the Italian Tax Authority demanded he pays around £42 million in unpaid taxes from his time as a Napoli player.

Eric Djemba Djemba

He was declared bankrupt in 2007. Once had 30 bank accounts but every penny was going straight to loan repayments. He was living on bonuses and extras.