John GreenAntoine Griezmann played his final match for Atlético Madrid on 17 May 2026, setting up the only goal in a 1-0 win over Girona as he signed off with his 100th assist for the club. The 35-year-old, who departs as Atlético's all-time leading scorer with 212 goals in 500 appearances, will join MLS side Orlando City at the end of the season. The emotional farewell — which included a public apology to fans for his 2019 move to Barcelona — has prompted one question that wealth managers across Europe know well: what should a professional athlete earning elite wages do to protect their financial future when the peak earning years are ending?
The Griezmann Career: What the Numbers Reveal
Griezmann's career earnings across Barcelona, Atlético, and Juventus (on loan) represent one of the highest-earning footballer profiles in the modern era. Atlético Madrid's wage structure, while not publicly disclosed, placed him among the highest earners in LaLiga throughout his return spell from 2021 to 2026. At his peak, industry estimates placed his total remuneration — including salary, image rights, and endorsement income — in the region of €25 million annually.
The move to MLS is not a financial downgrade. Major League Soccer's "Designated Player" mechanism, which allows clubs to pay above the salary cap for marquee signings, is how clubs like Orlando City attract players of Griezmann's calibre. Inter Miami's deal with Lionel Messi and David Beckham-era MLS contracts have demonstrated that American football salaries for elite arrivals can rival European wages at the club level, before endorsement revenue is factored in.
What the MLS move does represent, however, is a transition of financial complexity. Moving from Spain to the United States changes everything: tax residency, pension structures, image rights treatment, investment account access, and estate planning jurisdiction. Without expert management, a footballer at Griezmann's level can face a materially worse financial outcome from identical gross earnings simply through poorly managed transitions.
The Five Wealth Planning Decisions That Define an Elite Athlete's Financial Future
1. Tax residency timing. A professional athlete moving between countries must understand the tax implications of each move before signing a contract. Spain's "Beckham Law" offered reduced flat-rate taxation for non-resident professionals working in Spain — but this regime has conditions and a time limit. The United States' worldwide income taxation applies to all residents regardless of the source of income. Elite athletes are frequently among the most globally exposed taxpayers, with income flowing from clubs, image rights entities, commercial deals, and investment returns across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
UK-based athletes transitioning between leagues face analogous complexity. HMRC publishes specific guidance on tax for non-UK resident sportspeople receiving UK-source income — and the rules can result in withholding tax on appearance fees even when the athlete is no longer UK-resident. Getting this structure right before any contract is signed, not after, is a foundational principle of elite athlete wealth management.
2. Image rights and commercial income structuring. At the elite level, image rights income — the fees paid for use of a player's name, likeness, and brand for commercial purposes — can be structured through separate legal entities to achieve tax efficiency. For an athlete at Griezmann's commercial profile, this income stream may rival or exceed club salary in certain years. The vehicles used to hold this income, the jurisdictions in which those vehicles are registered, and the contractual arrangements with commercial partners all require specialist legal and financial advice.
3. Career-end cash flow modelling. One of the most common wealth management failures among professional athletes is treating career-level income as permanent. A player earning €20 million annually for a decade may retire with substantially less wealth than that gross figure implies, if outgoings, taxes, and lifestyle costs have not been modelled against a post-career income baseline.
Elite wealth advisers run cashflow models for athletes that project from current income through retirement — accounting for tax changes as earning patterns shift, investment income assumptions, and lifestyle spending at different life stages. For an athlete like Griezmann moving to MLS at 35, that model would include the likely duration of the MLS contract, the commercial income trajectory as playing status recedes, and the investment portfolio return needed to sustain his financial position through a 40-50 year post-career horizon.
4. Pension and retirement savings. Professional footballers in France, Spain, and the UK are covered by different mandatory social security and pension schemes. For a player who has been paid through multiple countries' systems, consolidating and optimising pension entitlements requires cross-border specialist advice. The complexity compounds when a player has spent years as a non-resident in countries where they have contributed to local systems.
5. Estate planning for internationally mobile high earners. An athlete who has lived and worked across France, Spain, Germany, and will now reside in the United States faces one of the most complex estate planning scenarios that exists in wealth management. Inheritance tax treaties, forced heirship rules in different civil law systems, property ownership structures, and life insurance arrangements all interact. Without a coordinated estate plan that accounts for each jurisdiction the athlete has established connections in, their heirs may face tax liabilities and legal disputes that erode a significant portion of the estate.
What UK Sports Professionals Should Take From Griezmann's Transition
For UK professional athletes across all sports — not just football — Griezmann's farewell highlights the importance of wealth planning that keeps pace with career changes. A cricketer moving to the IPL, a rugby player signing in France, or a tennis professional earning across multiple continents faces the same underlying challenges: tax residency management, income structure optimisation, and retirement cashflow planning.
The right moment to engage an independent financial adviser with sports-professional expertise is not when a contract is offered — it is several months before, when there is still time to structure everything properly. ExpertZoom connects UK-based sports professionals and their agents with qualified independent wealth managers who specialise in the specific financial challenges of high-earning athletic careers.
Understand the financial stakes behind elite club contracts and career decision-making
Griezmann's legacy at Atlético — 212 goals, a Europa League, and an emotional public farewell — is secure. His financial legacy will depend, as it does for every elite athlete, on the quality of the planning that surrounds the career, not just the talent inside it.
This article provides general financial information only. Individual tax and wealth planning circumstances vary considerably based on residency, nationality, and income structure. Please consult a qualified independent financial adviser or tax specialist before making financial decisions. ExpertZoom connects UK residents with regulated wealth management professionals.
