Over the past 20 years Tom Brady has become one of the most recognisable faces in world sport.
The 42-year-old became known to fans across the world as quarterback for NFL giants, New England Patriots, where he played from 2000-2019.
With the Patriots he won six Super Bowls - becoming the youngest quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to victory at the age of 24 back in 2002, was named Super Bowl’s most valuable player (MVP) four times and the NFL’s MVP on three occasions.
Earlier this year Brady agreed to join Florida side Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a two-year deal worth around $30million per year.
Who is Tom Brady?
Brady was born in San Mateo, California on August 3 1977, and was drafted by the Patriots in 2000.
The Patriots didn't have a single Super Bowl to their name when Brady joined at the turn of the millennium.
Since 2001 things have taken off for both player and club, with the Patriots possessing a joint-record six Vince Lombardi trophies and a reputation as one of the most successful franchises, with legendary coach Bill Belichick at the helm.
In turn, no footballer has more Super Bowls than Brady.
In March 2020 Brady shocked the NFL world by announcing that he was not returning to Foxborough.
Sky Sports presenter Neil Reynolds told Mirror Sport: “They [Brady and Belichick] will be tied to the hip for the rest of their lives – the greatest NFL double act in history.
“Now they will have at least one chapter, maybe two, away from each other and that will be really interesting to see.”
Tom Brady’s wife
Since December 2006 Brady has been in a relationship with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
The couple married on February 26 2009 and have two kids, Benjamin Rein and Vivian Lake.
Their relationship has faced its challenges though. In early 2007 Brady told her that his ex-girlfriend, American actress Bridget Moynahan, was pregnant with their son Jack.
In her autobiography, the Brazilian model recalled: “Two months into our relationship, Tom told me his ex-girlfriend was pregnant.
"The very next day, the news was everywhere, and I felt my world had been turned upside down."
After that rocky start the couple have settle down and enjoyed a happy marriage and family life, on the whole.
"I wanted to be there for Jack and Tom and do whatever I could to create stability in their lives and help them to have a close relationship," Bundchen added in her book.
However, last month Brady revealed that his wife had written a letter to him saying their marriage was in trouble and she was unhappy, leading them to go through couple's therapy.
He told Howard Stern: "She didn't feel I was doing my part for the family," but reassured fans that they're much happier again now.
Tom Brady’s net worth
Brady’s deal with the Buccaneers will only add to his already substantial net worth. Since 2000 he’s earned an estimated $235m from his playing career.
Surprisingly, for someone of Brady's status and success, Forbes describes him as "one of the NFL's best bargains, saying his $15m-a-year average salary is one that "barely ranks among the 20 highest-paid quarterbacks".
Forbes’ 2020 list of the world’s highest paid athletes puts him in 81st place with earnings of $27m in the past 12 months, made up of a base salary of $15m and $12m in endorsements with the likes of Aston Martin and Hershey’s.
However Bundchen’s net worth is $400m, giving them a joint fortune of around $580m.
Business Insider says that despite retiring from runway modeling in 2015, she still has endorsement deals with the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Calvin Klein.
She's also developed product lines of her own including sandals, lingerie and a beauty line. These reportedly generate $1billion per year in sales.
The couple have bought several homes together. They once owned a custom-built $20m mansion in Los Angeles, complete with chicken coop and moat, which Dr. Dre bought off them for $40m in 2014.
Given his move from Boston to Tampa, Brady's barn-style mansion in Brookline, Massachusetts - complete with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, wine cellar, gym, spa, movie theater, great room, chef’s kitchen and solarium-like breakfast nook - is currently for sale at a cool $33.9m.
They've also used their fortune to help valuable causes.
In April Brady pledged to supply 10million meals to Feeding America, with 750,000 going to vulnerable people in the Tampa area.
In 2009 Bundchen donated $1.5m to the Haiti earthquake relief efforts, and regularly supports the likes of WWF.
A percentage of profits from her sandals line also goes to protect Amazon rainforest water sources in her native Brazil.
