Financial Well‐Being of Professional Athletes and Football Players: Integrating Bibliometric and Content Analysis

ABSTRACT Over the last decade, the idea of financial well‐being (FWB) has attracted multidisciplinary attention. Professional athletes’ FWB is significantly affected by factors such as their age and the global nature of their careers. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review to address the following research questions: (1) How has the research on the financial issues facing professional athletes evolved (in terms of journals, institutions, countries, trending topics, and research streams)? (2) What are the components of financial literacy (FL) that influence the FWB of professional football players (PFPs)? This review is based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses. The bibliometric analysis was performed by applying the Biblioshiny (R packages) and VOSviewer on 94 articles retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Content analysis was conducted on 22 relevant articles that developed three major themes: (1) FWB, (2) FL, and (3) PFPs. The findings reveal a growing emphasis on FL and its significant influence on the FWB of PFPs, especially during career transitions. It contributes to the practical implications, including providing knowledge for more targeted financial education programs, economic empowerment interventions, and public policies to enhance the FWB of athletes.