French superstar has wasted little time in reconnecting with soccer in his homeland
Kylian Mbappe has invested in a majority stake in Stade Malherbe Caen in France’s Ligue 2 having recently left French soccer to play for Real Madrid in Spain. Les Bleus’ talisman and captain has cultivated a modern brand image on and off the field and strategic investments are part of that. The Normandy-based club will be Mbappe’s first foray into a sporting project that he is not a part of as a player. It also marks his commitment to developing domestic French soccer despite having moved on from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
We take a look at what this actually means for Mbappe and Real.
Does Mbappe actually own Caen?
Yes — via his company Interconnected Ventures which owns the strategic entity named Coalition Capital which now owns a majority stake in Caen. Mbappe has not simply taken himself to the negotiating table with some of the money earned during his career and decided 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 via Mbappe’s Interconnected Ventures has taken over Oaktree Capital Management’s majority stake in the club of at least 80%. The remaining minority stake of up to 20% remains with local entrepreneur Pierre-Antoine Capton’s investment company PAC Invest which now partners with Coalition Capital.
Why Caen?
Mbappe and Caen have history with the French superstar famously training with the club before opting 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 renowned in French soccer as being one of the best academy clubs having produced plenty of young talent over the years such as Mbappe’s ex-Monaco and France teammate Thomas Lemar. Not only is this a sentimental move from the Real man in returning to a club of importance 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 soccer. The potential for strong player trading activity is significant.
Is Mbappe Europe’s youngest soccer club owner?
At 25, Mbappe is now the youngest club owner in European soccer although it should be pointed out that he is not expected to be too hands on at this point. The closest rival to that title is arguably Sunderland’s Kyril Louis-Dreyfus who is now 26 and has been Chairman since 2021 — when he was 23 — having gone from minority to majority stakeholder two years ago.
Will Mbappe be Caen president?
Although nothing can be ruled out in the future, the expectation is not for Mbappe to immediately call all of the shots at Stade Michel d’Ornano. Instead, although his name is front and center, a chosen member of his Interconnected Ventures or Coalition Capital team will run the club day-to-day. “As the lead investor in this project, we are very excited to continue the development of Stade Malherbe Caen, alongside PAC Invest,” said Ziad Hammoud, CEO of Interconnected Ventures. “Our shared vision with the club of sporting excellence and community engagement is at the heart of our approach. We are determined to create 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 with former Angers SCO supremo Olivier Pickeu the club president. Pickeu is leaving the club as part of the arrival of Mbappe’s Coalition Capital via Interconnected Ventures. Capton is staying on 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. Its values, commitments and extraordinary vision of sport are unique assets for this project. I thank Coalition Capital for their trust and I am very happy to be able to share this new cycle for the club with them. More than ever, the SM Caen project will live up to its history and its supporters.”
Is this a conflict of interests?
Not yet and it might never be – Real and Caen are nowhere near the same levels right now and the chances of them meeting in UEFA competition soon must be considered remote — at least initially. That could change over time but it will require Caen getting back into Ligue 1 and then qualifying for European soccer which is likely to take multiple seasons. Although both Real and Caen are fully professional, the two are in different countries and Mbappe no longer plays his club soccer in France. If he was still a PSG player, though, then this would have certainly represented a conflict of interests. The prospect of Mbappe returning to France to play with Caen in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 is also something that will be worth keeping an eye on in the future.
Could Mbappe do this in another sport?
Yes, and this is something that he could have done even if he had stayed with PSG. Mbappe is known to be a fan of other sports, notably basketball, and the synergies between the two sports have long appealed to him and his brand. There are already rumors in France that Mbappe could be preparing to also invest in a basketball team — albeit as a minority investor instead of a majority — so do not rule out seeing this happen in the near future.