23 August 2024 - 1:32 PM
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IMAGO | The 25 year-old Real Madrid player, Kylian Mbappe, is now the majority owner of french club SM Caen
From comic strip legend to French megastar: The rise of footballer-owners
- Two decades ago, footballer-club owners belonged only in the pages of comic books, like Roy of the Rovers. Today, top players like Kylian Mbappé and David Beckham are turning fiction into reality.
- As Mbappé purchases Caen, a growing trend emerges: leading footballers are not just stars on the pitch but increasingly power players off it. But what do they hope to gain from club ownership?
- Why it matters: This growing trend of footballers buying clubs could redefine the sport as players seek to instil their own sporting vision off the pitch, but it also brings potential risks and challenges.
- The perspective: Is buying a football club a sound investment for a player? “There’s a saying - ‘How do you make a small fortune with a football club? You start with a large one.’”
In 2001, in the closing act of the legendary comic strip, Roy of the Rovers, the eponymous hero, Roy Race, wrested ownership of his beloved Melchester Rovers, from the unscrupulous Vinter Brothers. It closed the circle on a 47 year-long story that had seen Roy progress from Melchester’s prodigy, to on pitch hero, to manager, and finally to owner.
At the time, the idea may have seemed as unlikely as some
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