Serial Super Bowl winner Tom Brady turns 45 today — and is astonishingly still playing at the highest level of the game.
The National Football League (NFL) quarterback briefly retired earlier this year, only to U-turn on the decision a month later.
The move means he could add to his impressive record of seven Super Bowl rings, having last picked up the trophy for his current team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in 2020.
Having reached the pinnacle of the game, Brady has been handsomely paid for his talents, making him one of the wealthiest players in American football.
What is Tom Brady’s net worth?
Tom Brady has a net worth of $250million (£204m), according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.
But, according to the same website, while the athlete might regularly be crowned the “most valuable player” (MVP) in the NFL, he is not the most valuable person in his own home.
It puts his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen’s fortune at $400m (£327m), giving the couple a combined worth of $650million (£490m).
CelebrityNetWorth’s valuation of Brady is considerably higher than what Forbes estimated in 2020, putting him at $180million (£131m).
Most of that came from his Buccaneers contract.
As of 2020, Brady’s two-year deal with the Florida side included $50m (£41m) guaranteed, plus a maximum of $9m (£7.3m) in bonuses.
The quarterback also has sponsorship deals with the likes of IWC Schaffhausen, Under Armour and Wheels Up.
Who is Tom Brady?
Tom Brady was born in San Mateo, California, on August 3 1977 and raised as a Catholic.
In 2000 he was drafted by the New England Patriots after four years at the University of Michigan, but was not a highly regarded prospect as he came out of college.
His Patriots career took off in 2001, and the following year, aged 24, became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.
The Patriots had not won the Super Bowl before 2002, but thanks to Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, one of sports’ great dynasties, they set new records for most appearances (11) and wins (six), level with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nine of those Super Bowl appearances came post-2002.
In March 2020 Brady ended his two-decade stay at the Massachusetts side and headed south to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After just one season in Florida, he led the team to just their second ever Super Bowl victory, following their 2003 win in their only previous appearance at the NFL season finale.
He shocked the sporting world in February 2022 when announcing that he was calling time on his iconic career, retiring after 22 seasons and 10 Super Bowl final appearances.
In his retirement statement, he said the decision had been taken due to the "physical, mental and emotional challenge" of the sport.
But he had a change of heart and in March - following a chat with Manchester United ’s Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford about being the “greatest of all time” - declared he would play another season for the Buccaneers.
Brady announced on Twitter that he had “unfinished business”, writing: “These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands.”
