FORMER Tottenham striker Ramon Vega earned millions of pounds from the game.
But his various attempts to return to football have been laughed at again and again.
Vega, 52, joined Spurs from Cagliari in 1997 and spent four years at White Hart Lane, spending the last six months on loan at Celtic.
He played 84 games for the club – scoring eight – but was never a cult hero in North London, leaving to join Watford in 2001 where he was unimpressive.
But after retiring from the sport in 2003, the Swiss with 23 caps took an unconventional approach to finance.
Vega, who read the Economist on the Spurs team bus, became a founding member of Duet Asset Management, a London-based hedge fund that managed $1.9 billion.
Six years later he founded Vega Swiss Asset Management, where he started work at 7am, finished around 10pm and still found time to play 5-a-side.
However, the effects of Brexit saw a strong fall – and it melted in May 2023.
Vega also owned Matterhorn Capital Rosalp which saw him develop luxury hotels.
He also owned a jewelery shop in Romford and opened a football academy in Marbella.
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The former defender, however, told SunSport that he wants to return to the sport.
In 2009, he tried to buy Portsmouth – but it fell through.
The Fratton Park club said: “As Mr Vega has not been able to demonstrate the ability to get the money he wants, the board, which includes the owner, decided to reject the request unless Mr Vega convinced them that the future of the club would not be compromised. This did not happen.”
And Vega had the perfect idea to take on the role of CEO of Celtic and president of Fifa – overseeing the pinnacle of world football.
But again his first attempts in 2015 and 2019 failed.
However, he has not given up hope of succeeding Gianni Infantino in the next election.
Vega told World Soccer: “Fifa is a closed shop. I am a foreigner and I am fighting against the army.
“I’ve spent my money traveling around the world talking to organizations and they want to change.
“They are not happy with the current situation but they are afraid to speak, they are afraid that the money they were promised will be kept.”
“However, my desire has not changed because I will return to my hometown of Zurich in four years as Fifa President.”
