When the story of Achraf Hakimi broke the internet, mixed reactions trailed the news as it unfolded. Amongst the reactions, a recurring comparison emerged of the tearful ordeal of Emmanuel Eboue and how the former Arsenal defender lost his football fortune to his former wife.
Being involved in one of the most lucrative businesses on the planet, athletes all over the globe earn huge sums of money through the span of their careers. Luxury apartments, flashy cars, expensive pieces of jewelry, fancy clothes, and all the finest things in life money could afford become the order of the day. Their beautiful wives and girlfriends (WAGS) are an additional cherry on top of the decadent cake of the good life.
As with all fortunes, a sprinkle of carelessness on the part of the athletes could mar the chances of having a comfortable life post-retirement. For many this sprinkle of carelessness comes in the form of their partners, whilst other factors include alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, and the usual vices.
Some athletes are blessed with supportive partners who play an active role in their astronomical success, but sadly the same measure cannot be applied to all. Walking you through a series of marital rollercoasters, we bring you a list of athletes who lost their fortune to their partners.
Allen Iverson
In the sport’s history, Allen Iverson remains one of the most intriguing players to ever play basketball in the NBA. So it’s unsurprising that the 6-foot-tall former scoring title and MVP winner makes our list. Even before his career began Iverson was known for getting into trouble, he was arrested in high school for getting into a fight at a bowling alley and almost did not end up going to college because of it.
These troubles appeared to follow Iverson through his retirement, as his wife Tawanna Turner filed for divorce in 2013 leading to Iverson losing vast sums of money. The couple eventually settled on a lump sum of $3 million and other various assets including a percentage of his future Reebok endorsement deal checks. These series of unfortunate events are believed to be a major factor in Iverson ending up broke after he lived such an expensive and lavish lifestyle. Iverson earned an estimated $200 million during his 15-year NBA career, but now the 47-year-old’s net worth has crashed to an estimated $1 million.
Emmanuel Eboue
The Ivorian right-back, who became popular for his exploits at Arsenal, also makes our list of athletes who lost their fortune to their partners. Moving to Belgium from ASEC Mimosas in 2002, the eventual 2006 UEFA Champions League finalist played for one of the biggest clubs in the world, earning an estimated $25 million through his career.
After being released by English Premier League club Sunderland in 2016, all efforts for Eboue to secure another club proved abortive. The Ivorian had to resort to accepting the role of a U-14 coach at former club Galatasaray. In December 2017, he dropped a “bombshell” when he told the Sunday Mirror that he was poor and homeless due to his divorce and bad investments under his former wife’s control.
The 39-year-old said the divorce drove him to the brink of suicide after his wife, Aurélie, allegedly took everything he had, including their three children, mansion, cars, and their first house in North London, where he was ordered by a court to surrender ownership. His ex-wife Aurélie whom he married before joining Arsenal became an infamous character in the football world for this act. The former Arsenal defender, Emmanuel Eboue, has since dismissed talk of suffering in poverty as a result of his divorce. He claims to still own real estate in Ghana amongst a few other properties left behind by his estranged wife. His current net worth is between $1-5 million.
Evander Holyfield
One of the finest boxers ever, the four-time Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world officially retired from boxing in 2014 after a nearly thirty-year career that started in 1985. It is believed that Holyfield made an estimated $205 million from boxing and endorsements during his active years. Surprising, to say the least, when you imagine how Holyfield lost most of his fortunes, though all of his marriage troubles definitely factored into the equation.
Holyfield was married and divorced three times. In 1991 he settled with his first wife Paulette Holyfield for $4 million, which was a large sum of money at that time. Holyfield bought a $14 million mansion with his third wife Candi Holyfield, but the house was foreclosed on in 2010 when the couple filed for divorce. It is unclear who got what in the divorce, and by that time there was not much more money the retiring boxer had to give. Evander Holyfield is estimated to currently have a net worth in the region of $1 million.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is perhaps the most intimidating boxer to ever step foot in the ring. The youngest Heavyweight Champion in history, Mike Tyson’s fights were some of the most watched fights on pay-per-view, making him one of the highest-paid fighters of his time. Though he had his career marred with controversy, Tyson remains one of the greatest heavyweight boxers we’ve seen.
A quick look at his life outside the ring, Tyson has been divorced multiple times, most notably in 1988 when he was separated from his then-wife Robin Givens. In a memoir written in 2013, Tyson claimed that Givens and her ruthless mother successfully conspired to make millions from him. He says they got married because she claimed to be pregnant. However three months into the pregnancy she had not gained a single pound and then she claimed to have miscarried the child. The two never signed a prenuptial agreement, so she received a settlement of more than $10 million. Tyson isn’t poor, but that is a significant amount of money and a horrible way to lose it. He was once estimated to have earned over $430 million from boxing. Sadly, the former heavyweight champion is now worth about $10 million dollars.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods was the ultimate golf prodigy. Featuring on The Mike Douglas show at only two years old hitting golf shots with beautiful swings. It came as a little surprise to many when Tiger went on to exceed expectations as he turned into the most dominant golfer of all time, with his stretch from 2000-2009 arguably the best spell any athlete has had in any sport. Tiger struck fear in the hearts of every opponent during his prime and whenever he was on a hunt, fans knew he was going to win the tournament.
Sadly, Tiger’s fall from grace happened in 2010 when his wife caught him cheating with a parade of party girls and film stars through text messages and calls on his cell phone. She chased after him with a nine iron and he crashed their SUV into a tree. His now ex-wife Elin Nordegren upon filing for divorce walked away with a settlement worth over $100 million and his sponsors pulled away from him. He nearly lost his livelihood. He didn’t go all the way broke but definitely came close to penury.
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