Ex-Arsenal star started eco-friendly biochemical company while playing for AC Milan as he opens up on incredible career outside of football

In an in-depth interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Flamini explained how he established his company, GFBiochemicals, while playing for AC Milan. Arriving at the club in 2008 aged 24, he absorbed the entrepreneurial atmosphere of Milanello and drew immense inspiration from enigmatic figure Berlusconi.

Reflecting on this impact, Flamini stated: “Silvio Berlusconi opened up a whole new world for me. He was an entrepreneur who won in every field: football, business, and politics. He was at Milanello every week, and on weekends he travelled with us on away trips. He was keen for his players to be passionate about something other than football. He was a source of inspiration for me.”

Flamini, who played for Arsenal over two spells, reflected on his unique dual path and proudly highlighted his scientific impact. "I played for AC Milan and discovered chemistry. Thanks to my patents, the world is a cleaner place," he said.

He then detailed when the venture began and how it initially provided a critical psychological outlet during his footballing career, adding: "During my time at AC Milan, almost as a way to vent. When I wasn't training, I spent my time developing GFBiochemicals, a company working on sustainable chemical solutions related to health and the environment."

The Frenchman also outlined how elite sports directly shaped his corporate mindset and added: "Discipline, teamwork, having a vision, sacrifice, and goals. The mental aspect makes the difference: in football, you can have all the talent in the world, but without a good mentality, you won't get very far. And the same goes for entrepreneurship: you can have lots of ideas, but not know how to put them into practice."

The former French international also outlined the competitive advantage of his firm, which he says currently holds over 200 patents for eco-friendly plant biomass molecules.

Flamini discussed their corporate trajectory, saying: "We've positioned ourselves on several molecules that had already been identified some time ago by the US government and that we now want to transform into green alternatives, for more sustainable chemistry.

"We have more than 200 patents. We're the only ones producing these molecules on a global scale. There's still little competition, but it's coming. I'm an entrepreneur, I demand the best. We spent more than ten years developing the patents, and once we were done, we went to market. And this is the most exciting phase. Today, we're selling globally to every country in the world."

The competitive entrepreneur remains entirely focused on his business while he follows his beloved former clubs. After a decade dedicated to look after his patents, Flamini's company is now heavily operational in its global commercial sales phase.

On the footballing horizon, the former midfielder plans to attend the European showpiece event and stated: "I was in London to celebrate the Premier League title, which was a feat. And now I'm hoping [Arsenal] to win the Champions League too; I'll be in Budapest."