11 footballers who have been wealthy and rolling in it earlier than they even kicked a ball

Professional footballers who ball out at the top level across Europe are left rolling in their earnings at the end of their career – but some stars already had their pockets full before their playing days started

View 12 Images

Footballers who have played at the top level across Europe know what a healthy bank account looks like at the end of their playing days.

The average weekly wage for a Premier League footballer is north of £60,000 – more than £20,000 higher than the average annual salary in Britain and £10,000 more than the average just five years ago. Football was once referred to as the working man’s game, but these days, not every player embarks on a rags-to-riches fight to set their family up for life.

Sometimes stars only know the high life and the image of wearing ripped football boots and learning their trade in the nasty cages of housing estates is a completely different reality to their journey to the top. One such icon is former Germany international Oliver Bierhoff, who celebrated his 58th birthday earlier this month. Here, the Daily Star Sport look at 11 top footballers who were born into wealthy families.

11. Oliver Bierhoff

JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

Oliver Bierhoff’s utility magnate dad might have provided his son with the trappings of wealth as a youngster, but there was no chance of his boy developing a sense of entitlement.

Apparently, Dr Rolf Bierhoff, who had his own energy company, suspected his son wasn’t trying hard enough in training after frequently seeing him return with a spotless kit.

His response was to pour water on their garden, creating an ice slice on which young Bierhoff could practise diving headers. Or at least so the story goes.

Anyway, whatever he did, it worked. Former striker Bierhoff went on to play for clubs including AC Milan. He also starred for Germany on the biggest international stages.

10. Robin van Persie

Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie was known for, among other attributes, his creativity and flair.

And it’s very possible that those traits were always in his blood. The Dutchman’s parents are both artists. Bob, his dad, is a sculptor who’s enjoyed a successful career, while his mum, Jose Ras, is a painter and jewellery designer.

Van Persie, who also played for Feyenoord and Fenerbahce, lived with his dad after his parents got divorced. According to the 36-year-old, he was “raised liberally”.

9. Gerard Pique

Gerard Pique has led something of a charmed life. Growing up, things were more than comfortable. The former Barcelona and Spain defender’s dad, Joan, is a top lawyer and businessman, while his mum, Montserrar, is the director of a hospital. His grandad, Amador Bernabeu, was once a Barcelona director.

He has set up his own sports and media investment group, Kosmos and is the co-owner of Spanish second-tier side Andorra FC.

8. Hugo Lloris

Former Tottenham and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is accustomed to affluence.

Growing up in a prestigious area of Nice, on the French Riviera, his banker dad Luc, and lawyer mum Marie, paid for his daily tennis lessons, watching as he excelled at the middle classes’ favoured sport.

But their son, named after The Hunchback of Notre-Dame author Victor Hugo, later switched his attentions to football, carving out a hugely successful career.

7. Andrea Pirlo

Money can’t buy class, but Pirlo has always had plenty of both. Growing up in Brescia, Pirlo didn’t want for anything, thanks to his dad’s successful steel company.

The legendary Juventus and AC Milan playmaker, who never talks about money, still has a stake in the family business. Now retired from playing, he also owns a vineyard.

6. Ciprian Marica

Some young players celebrate signing their first professional contract by splashing out on a new car. Ciprian Marica didn’t need to – for his 18th birthday, his dad, a wealthy businessman, bought him an expensive sports car.

Once described as being better than Wayne Rooney, former Romania striker Marica had a successful career, playing for clubs including Dinamo Bucharest, Shakhtar Donetsk and VfB Stuttgart.

5. Mario Gotze

Mario Gotze has proved himself at the very top level of football. But early in the 33-year-old’s career at Borussia Dortmund in his native Germany, there was talk that his dad’s money and influence. had played a part in his rapid progression through the ranks.

The attacking midfielder, a World Cup winner, is the son of Professor Jurgen Gotze. Prof Gotze worked at Dortmund University of Technology, but in the 1990s he held a research position in the computer science department of America’s prestigious Yale University.

4. Kaka

There’s no shortage of Brazilian footballers who grew up in abject poverty, in slums or favelas. Everton’s Richarlison and Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus both represent rags-to-riches.

But iconic AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Kaka’s life growing up was considerably different. The elegant playmaker, now retired, spent his early years in Gama, before his family moved to Sao Paulo when he was seven.

His dad, Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite, was an engineer, while his mother, Simone dos Santos, was a school teacher. Kaka’s family have been described as financially secure.

3. Mido

After retiring, the former Tottenham, Middlesbrough and Egypt striker enjoyed the good life as he ballooned in weight before cutting back down again just months later.

But it’s all he’s ever really known. His dad, Hossam Wasfi, was himself a professional footballer and later set up his own successful travel agency.

2. Patrick Bamford

Contrary to popular belief, Patrick Bamford is not the JCB heir. He is, however, a distant relative of Joseph Bamford, founder of the multinational manufacturing company.

And he is from good stock. Former Chelsea and Leeds striker Bamford, now at Sheffield United, went to private school and plays the violin. He had an opportunity to go to Harvard University in the US before deciding on a career in football.

1. Gianluca Vialli

What more proof do you need that someone is rich than their home being a 60-room castle? As a child, the late, great Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli lived with his parents and four siblings in Castello di Belgioioso in Cremona.

Former Italy striker Vialli enjoyed such lavish surroundings thanks to his dad, a self-made millionaire. Before his sad death in early 2023, he merely uses the castle as an occasional holiday home.