Kylian Mbappé can now add football’s youngest-ever majority owner to his already impressive resume after his investment company acquired an 80% stake in French football team SM Caen.
Coalition Capital acquired the 80% stake in the Ligue 2 club for a reported €20m from Oaktree Capital Management, which is the majority owner of Serie A champions Inter Milan.
This transaction now makes Mbappé at 25-years-old the youngest owner in football history. However, he will not assume any club operating titles and is expected to play professional football as normal.
A SM Caen club statement said: “This transaction marks a significant step in the strategic development of the club and reinforces its natural ambition to remain among the historic places of French football.
“This acquisition will allow Stade Malherbe Caen to benefit from additional strategic resources to strengthen its sports policy, modernise its infrastructure and develop innovative projects.”
Coalition Capital was the primary investor of the club’s acquisition, the investment arm of Mbappé’s Interconnected Ventures.
It is highly likely that Ziad Hammoud, CEO of Interconnected Ventures, will take over the reins as SM Caen Chairman and run day-to-day operations.
He commented on the acquisition, stating: “As the lead investor in this project, we are very excited to continue the development of Caen, alongside PAC Invest (Pierre-Antoine Capton’s investment company, which remains a minority shareholder of the club).
“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.”
SM Caen does hold significance to Mbappé who nearly joined the club after trials when he was 13-years-old. The French superstar instead joined AS Monaco and has since become one of football’s best and most recognisable players.
After relegation from Ligue 1 in 2019, SM Caen have been playing the second-tier of French football ever since. Despite this drop off, fresh investment may spur on promotion back to the top-flight.
Despite now owning a fellow European club, there may be no cause for concern on whether Mbappé may end up facing the club he now owns in a competitive fixture. This is because the only way Real Madrid and SM Caen could meet competitively would be in UEFA European competition.
Madrid compete in European football routinely, securing a Champions League spot every year. This is a milestone SM Caen is still a long way off achieving, needing to secure promotion to Ligue 1 and then a high table finish to reach this level.
