Famous players will stand at the top of fame with a huge salary. However, not all players are born and raised in rich families. Some of them have had a bad childhood. But they defied their poor childhood to become a professional football player loved around the world.
Love for football is for everyone. Anyone who has a passion for it can become a player. But it takes to rely on talent and real bravery to become a true superstar. Join online football betting at Happythais88 to bet on the player you admire, the team you love.
1. Luka Modric
The 35 year-old footballer was born in Croatia and he is now a midfielder of Real Madrid as well as the captain of the national team. Luka Modrić grew up in the middle of the Croatian War of Independence, so his childhood years were tough. But he still managed to play football during these years.
Besides, Modric had to live with his grandparents because his parents were poor and couldn’t take good care of him. He also worked as a goat-shepherd when he was just 5 years old. However, his tragic childhood was even worse as his grandfather was executed by Serbian rebels who also burned their home down. Afterwards, his family had to move to another area.
Since he was a little kid, Modric had always been interested in playing football even though he was short and thin. It was undeniable that he had a natural knack for playing football.
His football career started with a 10-year contract with Dinamo Zagreb where he showed steady growth in his height and frame. With his amazing performance, he joined Real Madrid in 2012 where he has had the most successful years of his career.
In addition to the success at club level, Modric also led the Croatia national team to the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. At the same time, he won the Golden Ball Award of the tournament. Despite growing up poor, Modric is now having an estimated net worth of $5.5 million.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
The world knows how incredible CR7 is as a footballer and how luxury his personal life is. The 35 year old forward was born in Portugue and he is now playing for Juventus as well as being the captain of his national team.
However, not many people know that his family lived in a poor neighborhood of Funchal, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. And because of the poverty, his mother nearly aborted her youngest child.
The situation of the family wasn’t easy as both parents (one was a cook and the other was a gardener) made just enough money to survive. Ronaldo had to share a single room with his mother and two sisters. But the poverty didn’t prevent him from becoming a legend in the football world.
When he was 14, Ronaldo was expelled from school after he threw a chair at a teacher who disrespected him. Afterwards, he wanted to do different jobs to support his family but his mother told him to follow his dream.
Since Ronaldo was 8 years old, he started playing football and showed his talent. In 1997, he left San Antonio to join Lisbon, he was just 12 at the time. Because he had a slim posture at the beginning, the club fed him extra food after training.
He moved to England and joined Man United in 2003, the club made his name popularly known as CR7 in the entire world. At the moment, his net worth is roughly $460 million, making him one of the most wealthy athletes in the world.
3. Dani Alvez
The Brazilian right-back Daniel Alves was born in 1983. He now plays for São Paulo FC and captains the Brazil national team. Growing up in the countryside of Brazil in a family of 5 children, Alves found football as a form of relief just like other people in the area.
During his career, Alves made the headlines when a rival fan threw a banana at him in a racist gesture and he calmly took a bite of it. Coming from a region that is known for poverty and suffers lingering prejudice as well as under-investment, probably Alvez could handle those things much better than anyone else. At the moment, his estimated net worth is around $60 million.
4. Neymar Jr.
Neymar was born in 1992, is known as a young talented Brazilian player who plays as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain and he is also a member of the Brazil national team.
As a fan of football, you probably still remember his record-breaking transfer fee of $262 million. However, his journey to success today started as a poor footballer in a small district of southern Brazil.
Due to the poverty, his parents couldn’t afford an ultrasound scan prior to his birth. His childhood life was tough as he barely had electricity in the house and they had to survive with candlelight.
Neymar Jr.’s football career began when he was 12. Since then, the young talent caught the attention of both Barcelona and Real Madrid teams. Whenever he played, Neymar quickly adapted and often played against much older opponents. Then at the age of 17, he made his professional debut in the Sao Paulo state championship. His estimated net worth now is around $185 million.
5. Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sánchez was born in 1988 in Chile. He is simply called Alexis and plays as a forward for Inter Milan as well as the Chile national team. However, that is a loan deal as his contract is with the English club Man United.
At the moment, Sanchez is one of the greatest players in the world. Little do you know, he grew up in the poor mining town of Tocopilla, Chile. His life was tough and he struggled to survive at a young age. His family couldn’t even afford to buy football boots for him despite the fact that he was qualified for a top team.
His mother was a cleaner at his school, and he used to wash cars, do acrobatics in the street to support the family financially. Obviously he didn’t give up his love with football and as you can see, all his hard work paid off in the end. He can now be proud with his net worth of around $50 million.
