Nine footballers who were rich before they made it - one grew up in a 60-room castle

Van Persie [Photo: James Clarke]

Football is full of rags-to-riches stories - Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, to name a couple. But dig a little deeper and you'll find a handful of lesser told riches-to-riches tales, too. Last week, we looked at players who embarked on different careers, some of them lucrative, after retiring.

The likes of Thomas Gravesen and Ramon Vega have made millions since hanging up their boots. Others, though, were born into money thanks to their wealthy families. Here are nine players you probably didn't realise were from privileged backgrounds... An artist, actor, wrestler and more - 10 ex-footballers with totally different jobs after hanging up their boots