a This trend has become stronger in the soccer world in recent years. Now, Thibaut Courtois has joined a growing group of current players who invest in other teams while continuing to compete.
The Real Madrid and Belgium national team goalkeeper has decided to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbapp and has officially become one of French club Le Mans FC’s new investors, potentially giving him a shot at his French team-mate.
Will Courtois’ latest move put Mbapp in check?
On February 19, the 33-year-old Belgian joined the project, which already includes other sports stars, through his investment company NxtPlay Capital. Tennis legend Novak Djokovic and former F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen had already invested in rising team Le Mans FC.
They finished 15th last season before being promoted to League Two. They are currently in 5th place with 39 points (just 3 behind leaders Troyes) and are unbeaten in 20 games.
The club has made it clear that its aim is to grow both competitively and commercially. Le Mans are hoping to continue to build on their excellent results as they move toward their biggest ambition: promotion to Ligue 1, and the arrival of a goalkeeper long known for his decisive saves has made his name resonate even more strongly.
For Courtois, this decision marks a natural transition for a star player who has reached the pinnacle of his career and is a mainstay at Real Madrid, but who has already started thinking about his long-term future.
Thibaut thus joins a group of current players who have chosen to invest in other clubs, including Messi and Luis Surez of Deportivo LSM (Uruguayan fourth division club), CR7, who owns 15% of Al Nasr (his current team), and Mbapp, who became a majority investor in French club SM Caen in 2024.
Kiki’s team currently plays in the Championnat Nacional, which is in the third division of French soccer, and is in ninth place with five wins, 11 draws, and four losses so far this season.
However, if Caen succeeds in promotion and Le Mans continues to play in Ligue 2, Mbapp and Courtois could become rivals as owners of these teams.
Meanwhile, Courtois and Le Mans are preparing a project with three main focuses. The first is the acquisition of La Pansnardiel – Le Clos Fleury training centre, the reopening of the training center in July 2026 (closed for more than 10 years) and the strengthening of the sports and management teams to provide the club with the necessary human resources for a new dimension.
Make no mistake, this is a team with goals and vision that is already starting to take shape.
