The Wolf of Valladolid: 21-year-old B team defender building multi-million business portfolio in Dubai | OneFootball

Some footballers struggle to adapt to life outside of football, and although increasingly there are programs dedicated to ensuring players have something to go onto after their career ends, it’s not uncommon for footballers to reach their mid-thirties without a plan or a position. Real Valladolid defender Fran Ortuno will not be one of those cases.

The 21-year-old signed from Linares for their Promesas side, and played a key role in their survival in Segunda RFEF, Spain’s fourth tier. He as plenty of things to be worrying about beyond survival though, as explained by Diario AS. Currently studying in mechanical engineering, he also has a multi-million business portfolio.

After setting up a business at the age of 17, he then sold it for €100k, which allowed him to continue investing primarily in digital marketing and e-commerce. His first business was a consultancy for investment in e-commerce. Now he has four businesses that are turning over in excess of a million euros each year. The primary investment is in the education sector and online sales, a second is an investment fund, a third in artificial intelligence and a fourth in real estate.

Ortuno operates his burgeoning empire out of Dubai, where he has access to high-powered funds and investors, but in true Andalusian fashion – he originates from Jaen – Ortuno is also selling an exclusive line of olive oil. Those around him say that training for Ortuno is a relief from his busy schedule and allows him to let loose, rather than being a task.

The closest comparison may well be one of his potential opponents next year, should Ortuno be promoted to the first team, and Espanyol promoted to La Liga. Striker Martin Braithwaite has a vast property empire thought to be worth around €250m in total, dwarfing his earnings at Barcelona or Espanyol.