Real Madrid veteran superstar becomes part-owner of French club Le Mans FC | OneFootball

In an interesting update, AS reports that Real Madrid veteran Thibaut Courtois, through his investment fund, has become a shareholder in Le Mans, a Ligue 2 club in France.

Le Mans, currently fifth in Ligue 2, announced a significant internal restructuring earlier today. The Brazilian investment fund Outfield, which entered in the summer as an investor, has become the majority shareholder.

Prominent sports figures such as Novak Djokovic and Felipe Massa, as well as former Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen, became shareholders in the club.

Meanwhile, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, through his investment company NxtPlay, has contributed capital to join the project, thus becoming a part-owner of the French outfit.

Courtois has been attracted by the strong work being carried out by a team with great history in French football and which had to descend into serious difficulties years ago due to its substantial debts.

Courtois becomes new part-owner of Le Mans. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Things, though, have been looking up for the club over the past year or so. Last season, in National, the third division of French football, the team was at one point in 15th place.

An extraordinary end to the season secured their return to the second division of French football, where they are currently fifth after putting together a run of 20 consecutive matches without defeat and reaching the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France.

There has been a growing trend in footballers investing into football clubs, with Real Madrid superstars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. being part owners of SM Caen in France and Alverca SC in Portugal, respectively.

Now, Courtois, too, has joined the list, with his investment in Le Mans.