- An ex-tennis player is now worth around £1.5 billion after setting up an investment company
- The Romanian earned just £200,000 as a player but now earns more than Ronaldo
A former tennis star who earned just £200,000 as a player is now a billionaire worth more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi combined.
The Romanian was on the tennis circuit from 1958 to 1979, winning the 1970 French Open in men’s doubles as his greatest notable achievement in the sport, beating a partnership that also included Arthur Ashe.
He also reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in doubles, taking 22 pairs titles, plus 34 singles titles. Unlike the likes of Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, his achievements on the court were modest, and it is his achievements since hanging up his racket that have changed his life.
Ion Tiriac is now 84 and has a According to Forbes, net worth is approximately £1.6 billion ($2 billion). – started a huge investment company that deals in real estate, financial services, airlines and many other businesses.
His work at the Tiriac Group made him Romania’s very first billionaire in 2007 and amassed a huge luxury car collection of more than 400 models, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV.
Former Romanian tennis player Ion Tiriac is now a billionaire after founding his own investment company
His £1.6 billion fortune is more than that of Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Lionel Messi (R) combined
On the company’s website there is a mission statement: ‘The Group, created on the initiative of Mr. Ion Tiriac, currently unites more than 40 local private companies, active in the following main sectors: the automotive sector, real estate, financial services (insurance), air transport and energy.
Tiriac Group continuously strives for the highest standards of service excellence with the intention of becoming a leading model for both local and international entrepreneurs.
‘Tiriac Group is continuously developing an operational portfolio covering a wide range of services offered to its clients, with the support of a team of qualified specialists and a visionary and perfectionist Romanian entrepreneur – Mr. Ion Tiriac.’
Tiriac’s enormous fortune means he has far more to boast of than many current athletes, as well as former athletes who have retired and gone into business.
Tiriac – now 84 – owns a company that deals with real estate, financial services and other businesses
Cristiano Ronaldo is known as one of the richest athletes in the world with a reported fortune of around £500 million ($631 million), but even his vast fortune and string of sponsorship deals don’t put him close to Tiriac.
Ronaldo is said to earn around £107 million ($136 million) a yearincluding his lucrative contract with Saudi club Al Nassr, plus his off-field endorsements.
The former Man United, Real Madrid and Juventus superstar is one of the most recognizable faces in the sport and has raked in millions with his personal brand CR7, plus sponsorship deals with Armani, Nike and Herbalife.
Meanwhile, Messi is believed to have a net worth of around £464 million ($586 million), with Forbes claiming he receives around £102 million a year from his salary at Inter Miami and off-field partnerships.
Due to his colored life and career, he also worked as a tennis coach, agent and even as an ice hockey player in his early years
Ronaldo and Messi are two of the richest athletes in the world and boast lucrative sponsorships, but their incomes still don’t come close to Tiriac’s
For the Argentine World Cup champion and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, that includes his lucrative deal with Adidas, plus drinks brand Pepsi, Mastercard and the Saudi tourism board.
Tiriac’s wealth also puts him at a higher net worth than basketball star LeBron James, who is reportedly valued at £791 million ($1 billion).
Nicknamed ‘the Brasov Bulldozer’ after his birthplace, Tiriac stretched himself throughout his career and after retiring from tennis in 1979, he briefly became a coach for a number of tennis stars – such as Marat Safin, Goran Ivanisevic and Ilie Nastase.
Later he even acted as a sports agent for Boris Becker from 1984 to 1993.
And earlier in his career he took up ice hockey, representing Romania at the 1964 Winter Olympics.