Giovani dos Santos was once heralded as Lionel Messi’s potential successor but has found surprise success in the oil business.
At 35, the former Mexican midfield maestro still banks millions, now as a businessman partnered with state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos, better known as PEMEX. Not stopping there, the former Barcelona prodigy is also co-owner of Procura Mexico, a firm with deep ties to the lucrative petrochemical industry.
According to Fox Sports, Dos Santos rakes in between $400,000 to $500,000 a year, which stands at over a staggering 10 million Mexican pesos locally. Dos Santos first burst onto the scene as a La Blaugrana starlet, stepping onto the pitch back in 2007, and swapping places with none other than Thierry Henry under Frank Rijkaard’s wing for a La Liga clash with Athletic Bilbao.
READ MORE: Lionel Messi theory emerges as Inter Miami star’s WAG gets intimate new tattoo
READ MORE: Eco-berks target Lionel Messi’s Ibiza mansion and spray-paint an ominous message
The Daily Star joins Bluesky as we Make Social Media Fun Again
Come and join The Daily Star on Bluesky, the social media site set up by ex-Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. It’s now the new go-to place for content after a mass exodus of the Elon Musk-owned Twitter/X.
Fear not, we’re not leaving Twitter/X, but we are jumping on the bandwagon. So come find our new account on https://bsky.app/profile/dailystar.co.uk, and see us social better than the rest.
You can also learn more about The Daily Star team in what Bluesky calls a “Starter Pack”.
So what are you waiting for?! Let’s M.S.M.F.A (Make Social Media Fun Again)
But, the heat of expectation turned out a bit too much, so after only knocking in four goals in 38 outings for the Catalan giants, he jumped ship over to Tottenham Hotspur for £9million in 2008.
Kyle Walker, who shared the Spurs locker room with him, waxed nostalgic to Paramount+, saying: “When he arrived and we saw what he could do with his feet… It was like Ronaldinho; he reminded me of him by how he moved, his legs, the band in his hair and all that.”
(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
However, Dos Santos’ time at Spurs was less than stellar, with a mere three goals in 33 games, and included loan spells at Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, and Racing Santander. His prime years came later in his career, featuring stints at Mallorca, Villarreal, and LA Galaxy.
At Villarreal, he notched up an impressive 18 goals and 15 assists over two seasons, offering flashes of his potential. He also excelled on the international stage, bagging a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and representing Mexico in three World Cups.
Don’t miss a thing with football updates!
Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox.
How do you sign up?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply click on this link, then provide your email address and that’s it, job done. You’ll receive an email with all of the top football stories.
You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, right here
After returning to his home country to play for Club America, Dos Santos hung up his boots in 2021. But retirement didn’t mean stepping away from success.
He swapped football boots for business attire, venturing into oil, luxury cars, and marketing. From being hailed as the next Messi to becoming one of Mexico’s richest sports entrepreneurs, Dos Santos has shown that life after football can be just as glittering. And with his business empire expanding, he’s demonstrating the off-pitch vision that fans once hoped he would display on it.