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most recently when we see top soccer stars born with silver spoon groomed,
developed and exposed in football academies across the world, the usual
situation has been that great soccer stars were discovered on the streets after
their births into poverty reddened families. Most of the greatest players in
the world who have made fortunes from the game were born with no hope for
tomorrow because of the poverty state of their parents. The talents of these
players gave hope to their hopeless family background.
LUIS SUAREZ: Luis
Suarez spent the first years of his life playing football on the streets
barefooted as his family couldn’t afford one. Not until he was seven – driven
by his father’s unemployment – did the former Liverpool striker move along with
his six siblings to the Uruguayan capital. Suarez’s family was often unable to
furnish him with boots to play with, while his father left the family behind
when the Barcelona star was twelve. He struggled for focus during formative
days at Nacional after falling in with a rough crowd – but Suarez has credited
the hardships he faced as a youngster for fueling his desire to succeed in
football. Today he has a net worth of $45 million annually.
CARLOS TEVEZ: Carlos
Tevez, became known as El Apache, after the crime-ridden Buenos Aires
neighborhood of Fuerte Apache from which he emerged to become a beloved man of
the people. Tevez has recounted tales of a childhood blighted by crime and
deprivation, of walking to school in the morning past the bodies of slain
neighbors in the street. He credits his dribbling ability to having to weave
around shattered glass and syringes in an effort to avoid disease, all the
while wearing boots so outgrown his toenails became stunted. The Argentine has
called football “the best thing that can happen to you” – and it was his focus
on the sport, rather than the life of crime others around him fell into, that
allowed him to take advantage of his innate, unique ability. He has a net worth
of $28 million and an annual salary of $16.8 million.
NEYMAR: Just four
months into his life, Neymar’s mother and father believed they had lost their
son after a car accident. Neymar emerged to become a prodigy, growing up in a
cramped room in his grandfather’s house, shared with his sister and parents. He
used his relatives as improvised goal posts and training dummies to simulate
the necessary environment. So meteoric was his rise at Santos that Real Madrid
took notice of the then 13-year-old, flying him and his father to Spain. But
Neymar noticeably missed the simplicity of life at home, returning to Santos to
continue his development despite a lucrative offer – and only returning to
Europe for good to sign with Barcelona in 2013. Today, Neymar has a net worth
of $93 million.
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC: He
was raised in the Rosengard district of Malmo, a place more renowned for
swallowing youngsters whole than spitting out brilliant footballers because of
the criminal records in the locality. The Swede’s Bosnian father was an
alcoholic, his Croatian mother something of a hard case – the pair split when a
young Zlatan was just two years old. Ibrahimovic was left to steal what he
needed – at times, a bike to ride to training – developing his technical skills
by playing a brand of street soccer on a makeshift pitch in Rosengard with
friends. Not until Ibrahimovic was 18 years old did he truly see his own
potential as a footballer. After his move to Manchester United, his net worth
rose to £110 million.
FRANCK RIBERY: While
many professional footballers were raised told they were destined for
greatness, Franck Ribery was forced to grind his way to the top. The tricky
winger was forged in the hard-boiled Chemin-Vert neighborhood in his native
Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France. As a two-year-old Ribery sustained his
distinctive facial scars when he was catapulted into the windshield of a car in
an automobile accident. Ribery later shone as a teenager for the Lille academy
but would be sent packing for a questionable work ethic, going on to do
construction work while battling through the lower French leagues. It was all
certainly worth it – Ribery arrived in due time. His net worth today €$66.5 Million.
CRISTIANO RONALDO: A
world away from the glitz and glamour of his life as one of history’s greatest
ever footballers – despite being far from finished – Cristiano Ronaldo was just
a boy from Madeira. The icon has shared stories of his modest upbringing devoid
of toys and Christmas presents, sharing a room with three of his siblings. Not
until he signed for Manchester United in 2003 would he set foot on an airplane.
Ronaldo’s humble beginnings certainly did him well in the pursuit of excellence
– he’s admitted to only thinking he was good enough to play football
semi-professionally as a teenager. Ronaldo banked £250m in salary from
Real Madrid.
ADRIANO: He was a
young boy stuck in poverty stricken Rio de Janeiro favela Vila Cruzeiro, but
dreaming of the high life and the chance to buy his mother a mansion. Adriano
indeed worked his way out of Vila Cruzeira – where drug traffickers notoriously
murdered a journalist, Tim Lopes. He signed for Flamengo in 2002 and quickly
moved to Italy before his 20th birthday. Adriano in a very short time became
one of world football’s most brilliant strikers, before inconsistency and
personal troubles ruined his career. Before Adriano ever kicked a ball for the
likes of Parma and Inter he was a typical street boy from the hood. He has a
net worth of $10 million.
STEVEN PIENAAR:
Growing up in apartheid-era South Africa was a dangerous proposition for Steven
Pienaar, who has described native Westbury – on the fringes of Johannesburg –
as a cauldron of violence and strife. Pienaar has recalled being banned by his
mother from sitting on the couch to watch television, as she feared a stray
bullet would come flying through the window and harm her son, such was the
precarious nature of the suburb they resided. So he was restricted to sitting
on the floor. The former Everton man has also recalled despicable instances of
racism he faced because of the colour of his skin – and the joy he felt when
apartheid was lifted at long last in 1994. While Pienaar was able to escape the
dangers of Westbury via football, many others weren’t soon after joining Ajax,
a close friend of his was tragically lost to the mayhem of Westbury, an event
Pienaar says is too painful to speak about at length. In his days ar Everton,
he had an estimated net worth of $ 5 million.
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