A trend has been gaining momentum in soccer in recent years. Now, Thibaut Courtois has joined a growing group of active 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 figures such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappé and has officially become one of the new investors in French club Le Mans FC and could challenge his French teammate.
Does Courtois’ latest move put Mbappé in check?
On February 19, the 33-year-old Belgian joined a project that already included other sports stars through his own investment company, NxtPlay Capital. Tennis legend Novak Djokovic and former Formula 1 drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen had already invested in Le Mans FC, a team that has shown itself to be on the rise.
Last season, they finished 15th before being promoted to Ligue 2. They are currently in 5th place with 39 points (just 3 behind leaders Troyes) and have gone 20 games unbeaten.
The club has made it clear that its goal is to grow both competitively and commercially. Le Mans hopes to continue cultivating great results that will lead them to promotion to Ligue 1, their greatest aspiration, and, following the addition of the goalkeeper long known for his decisive saves, their name has resonated even more strongly.
For Courtois, this decision represents a natural transition for a star who has reached the peak of his career and remains a key player for Real Madrid, but who is already beginning to think about his long-term future.
Thibaut thus joins a group of active players who have chosen to invest in other clubs, such as Messi and Luis Suárez with Deportivo LSM (a fourth division club in Uruguay), CR7 who owns 15% of Al Nassr (his current team), and Mbappé who became the majority investor in French club SM Caen in 2024.
Currently, Kiki’s team competes in the Championnat National, the third division of French soccer, and is in 9th place with 5 wins, 11 draws, and 4 losses so far this season.
However, if Caen manages to get promoted and Le Mans continues to play in Ligue 2, Mbappé and Courtois could be rivals as owners of these teams.
Meanwhile, Courtois and Le Mans are preparing for a project that has three main focuses. The first is the acquisition of the La Pincenardière – Le Clos Fleuri training center, the reopening of the Training Center in July 2026 (closed for more than ten years), and the strengthening of the sports and administrative teams to provide the club with the human resources required for its new dimension.
Without a doubt, this is a team with a goal and a vision that is already beginning to take shape.
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