The Friday before a weekend of Premier League action is typically a slow news day as football fans are only interested in getting to their match, which they have been eagerly awaiting all week long.
However, an intriguing/baffling story emerged this Friday morning as Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly switched his focus away from his supposed ‘closed’ transfer to Real Madrid by making an £80m offer to buy Ligue Un side FC Nantes.
True or not, Alexander-Arnold’s apparent interest in FC Nantes (their current owner is said to be ‘furious’, by the way) got us thinking: what are other past examples of footballers buying a club, whether in its entirety or just a minority stake?
Ignoring deep-pocketed footballers who have founded a football club (we’re looking at you, David Beckham), here are eight players who have bought a club, including one of Alexander-Arnold’s potential future teammates at Real Madrid…
Cesar Azpilicueta – Hashtag United
Upon doing research for this article, it was perhaps most surprising to discover that former Chelsea captain Azpilicueta is a co-owner of YouTube-centric football team, Hashtag United. This one passed me by…
Azpilicueta was one of the best defenders in the Premier League in his pomp, but the former Spain international does not scream gamer.
But as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. The 35-year-old’s affiliation with Hashtag United (a club founded by two YouTubers) suggests he’s entrenched in the social media world as he’s been on their board since 2018.
Class of ’92 – Salford City
Class of ’92 members Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt reunited in 2014. With the backing of mega-rich co-owner Peter Lim, they completed a highly-publicised takeover of local non-league side Salford City.
With the backing of several former Manchester United greats, Salford City have been given a mammoth facelift over the past ten years as they have risen through the divisions, while various off-field departments have had a huge upgrade.
Salford rise was rapid and dramatic, but they have stagnated in recent years as they are in their fifth-consecutive season in League Two. A certain Welsh side owned by a pair of Hollywood superstars has stolen their thunder of late.
Didier Drogba – Phoenix Rising
Before the sudden emergence of the Saudi Pro League, it was commonplace for veteran players to end their careers in the United States and MLS.
After a brief homecoming at Chelsea, Drogba did just that as he joined MLS outfit Montreal Impact. This was expected to be his final club, but there was time for another dramatic turn in the Ivory Coast international’s career as he joined the United Soccer League team, Phoenix Rising.
On the face of it, this was a baffling move. However, it made a lot more sense after it was revealed that to sweeten the deal, he purchased a stake in the club, meaning he made the unique step of becoming a player-owner.
PREMIER LEAGUE FEATURES ON F365…
👉 Big Weekend: Man City v Arsenal, Sancho, Glasner, Forest, derbies and not-derbies actually
👉 Why more than £200m worth of Premier League signings has yet to debut, including Newcastle trio
👉 Moyes for Spurs, Tuchel to Villa, Potter returns: Predicting the next manager of each Premier League club
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Hammarby
The former Man Utd striker was no stranger to a controversial move as he had spells at Inter Milan AND AC Milan during his playing career.
He has also ruffled feathers off the pitch as in 2019, he bought a stake in Swedish side Hammarby. Why is this controversial I hear you ask? Well, rivals Malmo are his boyhood team and they even have a statue outside their stadium in his honour.
Unsurprisingly, Malmo supporters did not take Ibrahimovic buying Hammarby too kindly as his statue was subsequently vandalised. He’ll presumably not be given a heroes’ welcome if he returns to his former club in the future.
Kylian Mbappe – Caen
Alexander-Arnold’s reported interest in FC Nantes may be inspired by Mbappe, who used a portion of his Real Madrid signing-on bonus to purchase a majority stake in Ligue 2 side Caen in the summer.
Mbappe already has experience running a football club as he was basically doing that with Paris Saint-Germain, as they foolishly gave the egotistical Galactico free rein to do pretty much whatever he wanted.
This did not work out for Champions League-less PSG and Caen are not doing too well either as they are winless in four Ligue 2 matches this season. Mbappe’s ridiculous records somewhat make up for this, though.
READ: Five players who already ‘regret’ rejecting summer transfers, including Arne Slot pair
Gerard Pique – FC Andorra and Gimnastic Manresa
For Man Utd, World Cup winner Pique is one who got away. He’s revealed why he was left scared by Roy Keane before he went on to enjoy a stellar spell with La Liga giants FC Barcelona.
Pique also happens to be one of the smarter footballers in recent history as he’s delved into the business world, buying lower-league sides FC Andorra and Gimnastic Manresa to add to his ever-growing portfolio. His divorce from Shakira doesn’t seem to have impacted his funds too much.
Ronaldo – Real Valladolid and Cruzeiro
Another greedy footballer who felt owning one club was not enough, Ronaldo bought a stake in Spanish side Real Valladolid and later did the same with one of his former teams, Cruzeiro, in 2018 and 2021 respectively.
Ronaldo presumably set out to give the lowly Spanish side and his former club a helping hand, but the love has not been reciprocated. The Brazilian icon reportedly intends to sell his stakes in each team this year amid anger over his failure to live up to his investment promises.
Wilfried Zaha – AFC Croydon
From a bitter owner-supporter relationship, we end with a more wholesome story as Crystal Palace legend Zaha joined rapper Stomzy (and another investor) in “doing what’s right for the local community” by buying non-league outfit AFC Croydon.
The potential knock-on effect of this deal is huge for Croydon and the surrounding area and the benefits will inevitably be felt for many years to come.
