KYLIAN MBAPPE has made a shrewd investment in one of the most high-tech sports in the world.
Real Madrid and France star Mbappé, 26, and his investment arm Coalition Capital have today been announced as new investors in the France SailGP Team.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring Real Madrid’s first penalty during the Champions League last-16 second leg[/caption]
The French team already hold the speed record in the Sail GP series, reaching just shy of 100 km/h[/caption]
SailGP is a high-tech, high-speed sailing league, featuring 12 national teams each competing in 50-foot catamarans.
The season kicked off in Dubai in January, before heading to Auckland and then onto Sydney.
Though French team sat out the first two events, they returned to the competition in Sydney.
Going into this weekend’s Grand Prix in Los Angeles, the French sit seventh in the league table, with the British team proudly leading the way.
The event series was founded by five-time America’s Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Russell Coutts in 2019.
Real Madrid star Mbappé and his ‘Inspired by KM’ foundation will become the French team’s official charity partner, and hopes to open countless more doors for young people and give them a voice they might not have otherwise had.
Reacting to the announcement, Mbappé 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.”
Coutts welcomed the announcement and the impact it might have on SailGP.
He said: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Kylian Mbappé into our growing SailGP family of partners and investors – he’s undeniably one of the most influential athletes of our time, and an inspiration to sports fans across the globe.”
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Speed-merchant Mbappé will hope to inspire the French team, dubbed Les Bleus, to new heights. They already hold the record for the highest speed in a SailGP event – reaching a staggering 99.94 km/h (62.1 mph) in season 3.
His investment in SailGP becomes the latest of a series of business ventures for the Frenchman, on top of his reported £26.3 MILLION PER YEAR salary at Real Madrid.
Just last year, Coalition Capital acquired a majority stake in Ligue 2 side Caen, who currently sit rock bottom of the second tier of French football.
They also acquired a minority stake in Loewe Technology – a German electronics company specializing in home cinemas and top-of-the-range televisions.
Mbappé – alongside Lionel Messi and Serena Williams – is also an investor in cryptocurrency-based fantasy football game Sorare, and he has a further investment in luxury watch trading latform Wristcheck.
