5 top footballers who own football clubs
Players contribute back to football in various ways during different stages of their career. Some of them end up buying shares to help their early clubs as seen in the case of Juan Mata, Michu and Santi Cazorla with Real Oviedo.
A few players try their hand in management to varying degrees of success while a lot of them end up in various commentary or administrative roles. However, there is a change in trend in recent years as players are now venturing into a new territory - ownership.
Slowly, players are getting involved on an ownership level to continue their involvement with the sport. While there have been instances of former players doing it such as Dave Whelan, who still owns Wigan Athletic, the trend of top players doing the same is getting more pronounced now.
Now, these players could be minority owners in terms of investment yet they serve as the faces of the club while the actual financial muscle can come from actual businessmen. However, the desire to get involved in the ownership of a club is a new trend.
Here are 5 such top players or group of players who own football clubs at the moment.
#1 David Beckham - Miami MLS
David Beckham's move to the United States in 2007 attracted a lot of eyeballs as many regarded the main motive to be money.
A lesser-known fact about the deal is that the popular Englishman was given a chance to buy a team outside New York for $25 million. Beckham duly exercised the option in 2014.
Thus, Miami MLS team came to be founded and is all set to be a part of the latest expansion of Major League Soccer. After a few hiccups, Beckham's investment group, consisting of top businessmen, is very close to starting the team in the next two years.
The new team is yet to get a name and the stadium is yet to be built. However, just like the way he kick-started the trend of top players moving across the Atlantic, Beckham is one of the first players to begin the new trend of high-profile players buying football clubs.