How is Martin Braithwaite Barcelona’s richest player?

Martin Braithwaite is a Danish professional footballer who plays for Barcelona FC. He was signed by the La Liga giants from Leganes for $18.5 million and his contract will run until the end of June 2024 although he is fighting off pressure to quit the club. He had previously flopped in England’s second tear league with Middlesbrough, scoring just nine goals in 40 games.

Braithwaite’s move to Barcelona made him the richest player in the La Liga side following Lionel Messi’s departure to PSG. His status as the richest player in Barcelona has little to do with his earnings at the club but his success root lies in his investments in the U.S. real estate market and other businesses.

According to Sportsbible, he earns $4.2 million per year at the Nou Camp, which is far from the striker’s main income. He owns the real estate business with his uncle, Philip Michael, which is worth $250 million, according to Marca. Braithwaite co-founded the business in 2017 with an $850,000 investment and by the end of that year, it yielded about $10 million.

Today, the company is said to be 25 times bigger than it was four years ago, with Braithwaite and his uncle owning 1,500 apartments. Also, they reportedly have 500 properties in development around Philadelphia and New Jersey. The company’s website, nyce.co, notes that they have $300 million in assets under management.

In addition to his real estate business, the Danish international has a clothing business called ‘Trente’ which he co-owns with his French wife and media personality Anne-Laure Louis. Also, he operates a restaurant named ‘Gave’ in Barcelona. 

“We want to teach people about financial freedom and the power that they possess. We have so many things that we want to do and always with the mindset to give back,” he said on a Yahoo Finance channel panel, according to The Irish Times.

Braithwaite’s father comes from British Guyana while his mother is Danish and he grew up close to Esbjerg. His parents met in Brooklyn where Keith Braithwaite was an immigrant from Guyana and Heidi Christensen an au pair from Denmark. They married and raised their family in Esbjerg, a seaport on the Jutland Peninsula.

“I always had this American side, and I think maybe that’s why my mindset is maybe more American: dreaming big, doing amazing things, writing goals down,” Braithwaite told The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

“In Denmark, we have an amazing system protecting the people. Everyone is good. No one needs anything. In America, it’s not really the same thing.”