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Kylian Mbappe does invested in a majority stake in Stade Malherbe Caen in the French Ligue 2 having recently left French football to play for Real Madrid in Spain. The talisman and captain of Les Bleus has built a modern brand image both on and off the pitch and strategic investments are part of that. The Normandy club will be Mbappé’s first foray into a sporting project that he is not part of as a player. It also marks his commitment to the development of domestic French football, despite joining from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
We look at what this actually means for Mbappé and Real.
Does Mbappé actually own Caen?
Yes – through his company Interconnected Ventures, which owns the strategic entity Coalition Capital, which now owns a majority stake in Caen. Mbappé didn’t just go to the negotiating table with some of the money he has earned during his career and decide to buy this club. Instead, the 25-year-old’s career earnings from various sources have been put – in part – into this venture, which now has its first major acquisition. In terms of control of the club, Coalition Capital has acquired Oaktree Capital Management’s majority stake in the club of at least 80% through Mbappe’s Interconnected Ventures. The remaining minority stake of up to 20% will remain with the investment company PAC Invest of local entrepreneur Pierre-Antoine Capton, who is now working with Coalition Capital.
Why Caen?
Mbappe and Caen have history with the French superstar famously training at the club before choosing to sign for AS Monaco, where he broke through and rose to prominence before returning to the Paris region with Ligue 1 giants PSG. Les Vikings are known in French football as one of the best youth clubs having produced plenty of young talent over the years, such as Mbappe’s ex-Monaco and French teammate Thomas Lemar. Not only is this a sentimental move from the Real man to return to a club important to his past, but it is also extremely intelligent given Caen’s ability to identify and nurture young talent thanks to some of the best facilities in French football. The potential for strong trading activity by players is significant.
Is Mbappé Europe’s youngest football club owner?
At 25, Mbappe is now the youngest club owner in European football, although it should be noted that he is not expected to be too hands-on at this point. The biggest rival for that title may be Sunderland’s Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, who is now 26 and has been chairman since 2021 – when he was 23 – after moving from minority to majority shareholder two years ago.
Will Mbappé become president of Caen?
Although nothing can be ruled out in the future, it is not expected that Mbappé will immediately be in control at Stade Michel d’Ornano. Instead, a chosen member of his Interconnected Ventures or Coalition Capital team, even if his name is front and center, will run the club on a day-to-day basis. “As lead investor in this project, we are very excited to continue the development of Stade Malherbe Caen, together with PAC Invest,” said Ziad Hammoud, CEO of Interconnected Ventures. “Our shared vision with the club of 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.”
Local businessman Pierre-Antoine Capton was chairman, while Oaktree was the majority shareholder and former Angers SCO supremo Olivier Pickeu was the club president. Pickeu leaves the club as part of the arrival of Mbappé’s Coalition Capital via Interconnected Ventures. Capton will remain as a minority shareholder and has welcomed the news: “It is an incredible opportunity for SM Caen to be able to count on Coalition Capital for its development. His values, commitments and extraordinary vision on sport are unique assets for this project. I thank Coalition Capital for their trust and I am very happy to share this new cycle for the club with them. The SM Caen project will live up to its history and its supporters.”
Is this a conflict of interest?
Not yet and perhaps never will be. Real and Caen are nowhere near the same level at the moment and the chances of them meeting in UEFA competition anytime soon must be considered slim – at least initially. That could change over time, but it will require Caen to return to Ligue 1 and then qualify for European football, which will likely take several seasons. Although both Real and Caen are fully professional, the two are in different countries and Mbappe no longer plays his club football in France. However, if he had still been a PSG player, this would certainly have presented a conflict of interest. The prospect of Mbappe returning to France to play with Caen in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 is also something worth keeping an eye on in the future.
Could Mbappe do this in another sport?
Yes, and this is something he could have done even if he had stayed at PSG. Mbappe is known as a fan of other sports, especially basketball, and the synergies between the two sports have long appealed to him and his brand. There are already rumors in France that Mbappé could be preparing to invest in a basketball team too – albeit as a minority investor rather than a majority investor – so don’t rule out this happening in the near future.