Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé has become a majority shareholder in Ligue 2 club Caen through his investment fund Coalition Capital.
Coalition Capital has bought 80 percent of the club’s shares owned by asset manager Oaktree Capital Management, which also owns 99.6 percent of Italian club Inter Milan.
Coalition Capital is the investment fund of Interconnected Ventures, founded by Mbappe and “dedicated to driving continued innovation in sports, media and investment”.
Caen – located in the Normandy city 240 km west of Paris – confirmed the money transfer from Oaktree to Coalition Capital on Wednesday.
Ziad Hammoud, CEO of Interconnected Ventures, will become president of Caen.
Coalition Capital announces the revival of Oaktree units @SMCaen aux côtés de PAC Invest. #SMCaen #TeamSMC
— Stade Malherbe Caen (@SMCaen) July 31, 2024
“As lead investor in this project, we are very excited to continue the development of Caen, alongside PAC Invest (the investment company of Pierre-Antoine Capton, who remains a minority shareholder of the club),” said Hammoud.
“Our shared vision with the club for sporting excellence and community involvement is at the heart of our approach. We are committed to creating an environment where young talents can flourish and where the club can defend its identity with strength and ambition.”
Caen has been playing in Ligue 2 since 2019 (JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images)
When he was 13, Mbappé came close to joining Caen’s youth academy, who followed him for three years and had discussions with his family about a move. However, the striker joined Monaco.
Caen finished sixth in Ligue 2 in the 2023–24 season, missing the play-offs for promotion to Ligue 1 by one point, having finished fifth the previous season.
The club spent five seasons in the French top flight until relegation in 2019, giving players such as N’Golo Kante, Raphael Guerreiro and William Gallas big breaks.
(Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images)