Most people are surprised when they hear I went from professional football to green chemistry.
But to me, it was a natural transition. ⚽️👨🏽🔬
Growing up in the south of France, I was surrounded by nature and the sea from an early age. As my football career progressed, so did my awareness of global warming and the impact that different industries have on the environment and on our health.
The products most of us use every day, from shampoos to cleaning products to paints, are still built on fossil-based ingredients. Changing that became my mission.🌱
In 2013, I co-founded GFBiochemicals to make everyday products safer and more sustainable using plant-based ingredients.
Football prepared me for this journey more than I expected the discipline, the resilience, and what it truly means to be part of a team. But there is an important shift: as a player, you’re judged on your own performance. As a founder & CEO, your role is to lead and inspire your team, and to share success together.
I spoke with Harvard Business Review France about my journey: the transition from international footballer to Green Chemistry entrepreneur, the challenge of building in a sector I came to as an outsider.
Read the full interview: https://t.co/wESh2lENho
• You played your final match at the age of 28 and had to quit football due to injury. By that time you already won 3 Ballon d'Ors. The world was at your feet, for which club would you have still liked to play?
🚨🗣️ 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Van Basten: "None. I would have kept on playing at AC Milan and I would have ended my career at AC Milan, I wouldn't have left for any other club."