Players Who Owned The Same Club They Played For Once

 

 

Club football is one of the important aspects in global football as players rise to fame with their performances at the club level. It elevates their fame across the globe. For example, Lionel Messi grabbed the limelight with his performances for FC Barcelona, or Critistiano Ronaldo stole the limelight while playing for Manchester United in the English Premier League at a very young age. Also, the clubs get fame due to the presence of such star players, as they build a legacy while playing for the team.

 

Also, some of the players buy stakes in the clubs playing in the lower divisions. For example, Lionel Messi recently brought a fifth-division Spanish Club. However, there are a few cases where the player actually brought some stakes in the club he had played earlier in his career. Interestingly, one of them formed his own club and then merged it with one of his former clubs, scripting a rare moment in club football.

 

The following are the players who brought the same club they played for in the past.

Ronaldo Nazário (Brazil): The Brazilian forward. In 2018, Ronaldo bought a 51% stake in La Liga club Real Valladolid, a club he had not played for. But he later invested in Cruzeiro, his boyhood club.

He bought a 90 % stake in Brazilian club Cruzeiro for a value of around $78 million (400 million reais) in December 2021 to save the debt-ridden side. He rebranded the club as a business corporation) and earned a promotion back to the Serie A before selling his stake for a price of $117 million in April 2024.

 

Nazario is widely considered one of the greatest strikers in the modern football world. His glorious career spanned top clubs like PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid despite his knee injuries. He scored over 400 goals, showcasing his brilliance in the field. He started his career with Cruzeiro, scoring 44 goals in 47 matches.

Gheorghe Hagi (Romania): Hagi has an interesting story of owning the club where he started playing. The Romanian footballer founded Viitorul Constanta in 2009, led them to the La Liga title and merged them with FCV Farul Constanta, his boyhood club.

 

The merger happened in 2021. Gheorghe Hagi (owner of Viitorul), Gheorghe Popescu (chair), and Marica announced the move. The merged club won the 2022-23 Liga I championship.

As a player, Hagi began his youth career with Farul Constanta, eventually moving to the national youth centre Luceaftrul Bucuretti in 1980. He made his Divizia A debut in 1982 at age 17.

 

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast): Drogba became the co-owner of Phoenix Rising FC in the United Soccer League (USL) in April 2017. After becoming a co-owner, he became the first player-owner in soccer history. As he became the first one to play for the club at the same time while4 ownership stake before bidding adieu to his playing career in 2018. He is part of an investment group which includes Kona Grill CEO Berke Bakay, entrepreneur Alex Zheng, and others.

Drogba played for a total of nine clubs in his career, but he rose to prominence while playing for Chelsea from 2004 to 2012 and 2014 to 2015. There, he scored 100 goals from 226 matches in 2004 to 2012. He won four Premier League titles with the club and also won four FA Cups. He scored 164 goals for Chelsea while playing for that club.