Sports stars who lost their fortunes - as Emile Heskey 'is facing bankruptcy

Former Liverpool, Leicester City and Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey is reportedly facing bankruptcy.

The 45-year-old had a net worth that was estimated to be £12million back in 2009. According to The Sun, he has faced financial woes since joining a celebrity investment scheme which has now been placed at the centre of a £1.6billion tax dispute.

As well as Heskey's recent financial woes, Mail Sport revealed this month that Burnley defender Charlie Taylor has been declared bankrupt due to unpaid bills.

The 30-year-old left-back, who earns around £30,000-a-week, is understood to have been issued with a bankruptcy order last year and is in the process of having it annulled.

So, with both Heskey and Taylor's finances under scrutiny, who are the sports stars to have lost their fortunes?

Boxing icon Mike Tyson revealed in 2014 that he had been forgiven by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for $2million of the taxes he owed dating back years beforehand.

Tyson declared bankruptcy years before in 2005 when he said he was $23m in debt - a figure which he worked to reduce over the subsequent years.

The fighter spoke about his appreciation for the government agency during a talk that coincided with the launch of a documentary called Champs, which profiled him and his former rival Evander Holyfield and fellow boxer Bernard Hopkins.

'I didn’t spare any quarters any nickels or dimes either. I’m not regretful for that whatsoever,' the then-47-year-old said, according to the Tribeca Film Festival.

'I had a 9th grade education. But my kids go to Ivy League schools. I’m dumb as s*** but I did something right.'

A more recent sporting bankruptcy is that of former Manchester United and Sunderland footballer Wes Brown.

The defender, who only retired