Football's biggest wills – like record-breaking star who left millions but gave kids nothing

Football is unmatched erstwhile it comes to fame and fortune, and the wealth to beryllium made is staggering. However, what happens erstwhile the last whistle blows?

Who stands to payment from the wealth amassed? The reply is often much analyzable than it seems. For immoderate footballing legends, the play disconnected the transportation rivals thing they achieved connected it.

Their lives bespeak a spectrum of experiences, from devotion to chaotic disputes implicit their fortunes. Diego Maradona's galore relationships, for example, near a litany of children vying for their share.

Dividing his property was ever bound to beryllium a nightmare. In contrast, the principled and steadfast Bobby Charlton near down a bequest arsenic clear-cut arsenic the antheral himself. Mirror Football looks astatine the stories down the wills and legacies of immoderate footballing icons we’ve sadly mislaid successful years gone by.

Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona’s decease successful 2020 near down a tangled web of fiscal chaos. The Argentine icon, celebrated for his genius connected the transportation and tumultuous beingness disconnected it, near nary will, mounting the signifier for a ineligible free-for-all among his heirs – astatine slightest 8 children from six women, with further paternity claims inactive pending.

Maradona’s property is simply a premix of contradictions. Estimates of his nett worthy astatine the clip of his decease scope from a humble £400,000 – drained by unpaid taxes and lavish spending – to an inheritance worthy £60-80million, including properties, luxury cars, and adjacent an amphibious conveyance talented to him successful Belarus.

His assets reportedly included 5 properties successful Argentina, a diamond ringing valued astatine £285k, and lucrative representation rights. Yet his fiscal bequest is arsenic fraught arsenic his idiosyncratic life. In 2005, the Italian authorities claimed helium owed £31m successful unpaid taxes from his Napoli days – a indebtedness mostly unresolved.

Known for his generosity and extravagant habits, Maradona himself erstwhile declared helium intended to donate his luck alternatively than permission it to his children, though Argentine instrumentality would person prevented him from doing truthful entirely. His decease triggered a cascade of ineligible claims.

Two Argentinians pursued DNA tests to corroborate their paternity, portion the 8 acknowledged children vied for shares. As 1 Argentine lawyer quipped, the inheritance saga is acceptable to beryllium arsenic chaotic arsenic the antheral himself – proof, perhaps, that adjacent "The Hand of God" can’t debar earthly entanglements.

Pelé

Even successful death, Pelé’s bequest is arsenic analyzable arsenic his life, which saw him triumph 3 World Cups, people 1,279 goals, and navigate 2 marriages and 2 high-profile affairs.

The Brazilian shot legend, who passed distant successful December 2022, near down a reported luck of £12m. His volition allocated 30% to his widow, 60% to his 7 recognised children, and 10% to 2 grandchildren.

However, a assertion from Maria bash Socorro Azevedo alleged she is Pelé’s eighth child, who helium ne'er met, importantly complicating the inheritance process. Maria, 60, has requested Pelé’s assemblage beryllium exhumed for a DNA trial to beryllium her paternity.

This comes contempt erstwhile tests returning antagonistic results and beardown absorption from the lawyer representing Pelé’s widow, who called the petition “unreasonable.”

According to Maria, her parent ne'er informed Pelé of her pregnancy, and her attempts to corroborate her assertion began successful 2019 but were delayed by his declining wellness and the pandemic.

Pelé himself reportedly acknowledged the anticipation of an eighth kid successful his volition but passed distant earlier paternity could beryllium conclusively determined. Edinho, 1 of his children and the executor of his estate, insists that erstwhile tests proved Maria’s assertion false.

If this wasn’t analyzable enough, Pelé’s volition included Sandra Regina, a girl helium denied passim her beingness contempt DNA tests and a 1991 tribunal ruling confirming their relationship.

Sandra, who passed distant 17 years ago, ne'er saw her begetter admit her, but her stock of the property passed to her 2 sons, whom Pelé met for the archetypal clip connected his deathbed.

Bobby Charlton

Sir Bobby Charlton passed distant successful October 2023 astatine the property of 86, leaving down £631k successful his will. The Manchester United fable designated the entirety of his property to his wife, Lady Norma Charlton, 84. Charlton’s daughters, Suzanne and Andrea, were named trustees alongside solicitor Andrew Kay.

Born successful the mining municipality of Ashington, Charlton roseate from humble beginnings to go 1 of football's top figures. Signing with United astatine conscionable 15, helium went connected to play 758 matches and people 249 goals implicit a glittering 17-year career.

He survived the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, which claimed the lives of 8 team-mates, returning to the transportation conscionable weeks aboriginal and successful 1968, helium captained United to a poignant European Cup victory.

Two years earlier, his goals drove England to their 1966 World Cup triumph successful the aforesaid twelvemonth helium earned the Ballon d’Or. Charlton retired successful 1973 and aboriginal became a planetary ambassador for the sport, earning a knighthood successful 1993.

His decease was ruled accidental, linked to lung trauma and a fall, and helium battled dementia successful his last years – a information that besides affected his member Jack, who passed successful 2020. Sir Bobby’s passing leaves Sir Geoff Hurst arsenic the lone surviving subordinate of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team.

Trevor Francis

Trevor Francis, Britain’s archetypal £1m footballer and the antheral who scored Nottingham Forest’s winning extremity successful the 1979 European Cup final, near down a luck of £1.9m – but nary of it went to his sons. Before his decease successful July 2024 astatine the property of 69, Francis amended his volition successful 2019, excluding his sons James and Matthew owed to estrangement.

Instead, helium near his property to his member Ian and sister Carolyn, some based successful Plymouth. Francis, who mislaid his woman Helen to bosom crab successful 2017, wrote successful his volition that neither of his children were financially babelike connected him. While the reasons for the rift stay private, his sons did be his ceremonial successful Marbella, Spain, wherever Francis spent overmuch of his aboriginal life.

Born successful Plymouth, Francis became a teenage sensation astatine Birmingham City earlier Forest broke the British transportation grounds successful 1979 to motion him. Manager Brian Clough famously insisted the interest was £999,999 to trim the pressure, but months later, Francis’ header secured Forest’s archetypal European Cup.

He went connected to play for Manchester City, Sampdoria – wherever helium won the Coppa Italia – Atalanta, Rangers, and QPR, wherever helium served arsenic player-manager. His managerial vocation was highlighted astatine Sheffield Wednesday, starring them to a third-place First Division decorativeness and runners-up spots successful the FA Cup and League Cup earlier leaving shot successful 2003.

Joe Kinnear

Joe Kinnear, erstwhile Tottenham subordinate and Newcastle manager, near an property worthy £833k to his woman Bonnie pursuing his decease successful April 2024 astatine property 77. He was diagnosed with dementia successful 2015, and his household believes the information was linked to the repeated heading of the shot during his 11-year nonrecreational career.

Born successful Dublin to a Guinness brewery worker, Kinnear joined Tottenham astatine 17. Over a decennary astatine Spurs, helium made 258 appearances, collecting 5 trophies successful the process.

After a little stint astatine Brighton, helium retired from playing successful 1977 and transitioned into management, wherever helium famously steered Wimbledon's "Crazy Gang" to sixth spot successful the Premier League successful 1993/94, earning Manager of the Year honours.

Later roles with Luton, Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle followed, though his clip connected Tyneside was marked by controversy, including a notorious property league successful 2008 wherever helium unleashed a profanity-laden tirade, swearing 50 times successful the archetypal 5 minutes.

His passing brought renewed attraction to the risks of encephalon injuries successful football, prompting his household to articulation a suit against football’s governing bodies, accusing them of negligence successful preventing encephalon harm among players.

John Motson

Legendary shot commentator John Motson, known affectionately arsenic "Motty," near an property worthy £488k aft his decease astatine the property of 77. His eight-page will, written successful 2005, named his woman Anne, lad Frederick, and sister-in-law Susan Fielding arsenic beneficiaries, though the circumstantial distributions stay undisclosed.

Motson, instantly recognisable successful his iconic sheepskin coat, was revered for his encyclopedic cognition of shot stats – cognition helium meticulously compiled with Anne’s help.

Over a vocation spanning much than 5 decades, helium covered implicit 2,000 matches, including 29 FA Cup finals and 10 World Cups, becoming a defining dependable of the game. After retiring from the BBC successful 2018, Motson continued his vocation with talkSPORT, cementing his spot arsenic a broadcasting legend.

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