Kylian Mbappe – World Cup winner, Galactico and now team owner.
The Real Madrid and France goal machine has been unveiled as an investor in France’s SailGP team that began its fifth season in the adrenaline-fuelled racing championship in November.
Credit: SAILGPKylian Mbappe has ventured beyond football with his latest investment[/caption]
Mbappe is one of the highest paid footballers on the planet and recently became part owner of Ligue 2 Caen via an investment fund.
But his latest venture takes him from the pitch to the seas in SailGP, which culminates in a winner takes all Grand Final with $2million up for grabs.
The France hero will support his compatriots in the showpiece sailing competition through Coalition Capital, the investment arm of his company Interconnected Ventures.
Meanwhile, his ‘Inspired by KM’ (IBKM) association will become the French team’s official charity partner for the competition.
Celebrating the news, Mbappe said, “We are excited to be on board with this new adventure with the France SailGP Team, alongside Accor and other investors.
“I’m also proud that IBKM has the opportunity to engage more young people around the world through this relationship.”
He continued: “Through Inspired By KM, I want to reach out to young people around the world and give them the strength to believe in their dreams.
“With our ‘We Care for All program’, we provide concrete support and hope to those who need it most.
“Together, we are building a future where every young person can write their own story and achieve excellence.”
The Madrid talisman is the latest in a growing list of big names to get involved in SailGP.
US boxing star Deontay Wilder and four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel are among other sports stars to have invested in their respective nations’ teams in recent years.
The format is simple – 12 rival nations race in glamour locations around the world on catamarans that cost almost $10m to build.
It is not without its dangers either, as Great Britain’s Matt Gotrel found out when he went overboard – still tethered to the boat – during one race and bounced along the waves at speeds that have reached 100 km/h.
The one-class design of the boats means that all teams use the same equipment in every race and are able to look at the performance data of their rivals to analyse and then easily apply insights learned.
Mbappe will be hoping to add to his numerous trophies with France’s SailGP team, who currently sit seventh in the competition’s leaderboard after the first three races of the season.
Australia won the first three seasons, but were pipped by Spain in season four that added to their glorious summer of winning Euro 2024 and Carlos Alcaraz‘s Wimbledon triumph.
And it isn’t just the $12.8m total prize money at stake throughout the campaign which Mbappe will have his eye on.
The 25-year-old will have an opportunity to catch his team in action later on in the year, with SailGP recently confirming the competition will return to French shores in September.
Saint-Tropez will play host to the competition over the course of two days later this year, with the French Riviera an idyllic setting for Mbappe to get behind his latest investment.
