Mathieu Flamini: Ex-national player becomes biochemistry entrepreneur

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Mathieu Flamini: Ex-national player becomes biochemistry entrepreneur.

"Some players prefer to play PlayStation during naps" – the line is dropped in the new podcast « Anatomie d'une décision » by L'Express. It comes from Mathieu Flamini himself. The now 42-year-old former French international apparently used his free minutes at training camp differently than many of his colleagues.

As L'Express reports, Flamini got involved in founding a green chemistry company ("chimie verte") back in 2013, right in the middle of his active career. Six years later, in 2019, he ended his professional career on the pitch – and from then on devoted himself to the biochemistry project.

From the pitch to the lab – a timeline that inspires awe

What sounds like an odd parallel career was, according to L'Express, a deliberate decision. Flamini had combined his passion for the natural sciences with his entrepreneurial drive – long before the football boots were finally hung up in the closet. The podcast « Anatomie d'une décision » picks up on such turning points; this time it's the story of an ex-pro who built his fortune off the pitch.

For you that means: anyone who starts fresh after their career ends can absolutely build a second pillar – if necessary in parallel, even while the first career is still running.

Green chemistry instead of pitch battles – what's behind "chimie verte"?

"Chimie verte" stands for chemical processes that are supposed to be more environmentally friendly than classic industrial processes – bio-based raw materials or lower energy and solvent consumption, for example. Flamini's company belongs to this field. How exactly the business operates and who is invested today, the source leaves open – it tells primarily the personal side of the decision.

If you want to know how a football pro dares to make the leap into the lab and why it was precisely the quiet hours at training camp that became the cradle of a biotech company, the current episode of L'Express is worth a look.