Thibaut Courtois joins Novak Djokovic as co-owner of French football club

Published on Friday, 20 February 2026 at 1:24 am

Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has expanded his portfolio beyond the Bernabéu, becoming the newest part-owner of French Ligue 2 side Le Mans FC. The 33-year-old, a two-time Champions League winner and multiple La Liga champion with both Atlético and Real Madrid, confirmed his investment on Thursday, joining an increasingly star-studded ownership group that already includes 24-time Grand Slam tennis champion Novak Djokovic, Haas Formula One driver Kevin Magnussen and 2008 F1 runner-up Felipe Massa.

Djokovic, Magnussen and Massa acquired their stakes in August 2024 through a consortium led by Brazilian investment vehicle OutField, co-founded by Pedro Olivera and backed by OakBerry CEO Georgios Frangulis. Courtois’ arrival marks the latest high-profile addition to the project aimed at revitalising the historic western-French club.

Founded in 1902, Le Mans moved from the venerable Stade Léon-Bollée to the 25,000-capacity MMArena in 2011. After earning promotion last season by finishing second in Ligue 3, the club currently sits fifth in the Ligue 2 table after 23 matches. Recent form has dipped: Le Mans are winless in their last three league outings, including a 4-2 defeat to relegated Montpellier, and were eliminated from the Coupe de France with a 3-0 loss to Reims in the round of 16.

Courtois’ investment underlines a growing trend of elite athletes branching into football club ownership, with Le Mans now boasting shareholders from the summit of tennis, Formula One and world football.