Brady joins LeBron, Reynolds as celebrity soccer club owner

Coming considerably out of the blue (if you happen to’ll excuse the pun), it has been introduced that NFL legend Tom Brady has grow to be a shareholder in Championship aspect Birmingham City.

Brady, a former quarterback for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has entered a partnership with The Blues’ new homeowners to grow to be a minority stakeholder within the club.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion introduced his lengthy and profitable NFL profession to an finish in February when he retired at age 45. He turned 46 on Thursday.

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“Birmingham City is an iconic club with so much history and passion, and to be part of the Blues is a real honor for me,” Brady mentioned, effortlessly saying the club’s title like a neighborhood (“Birming-uhm“) as he did so.

“I’ve been part of some amazing teams in my day, and I’m looking forward to applying my perspective to create that same success here in Birmingham.”

Welcome to the Blues household, @TomBrady! 💙 pic.twitter.com/ppPyLc6Zsf

— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) August 3, 2023

Having beforehand been owned by a Chinese consortium, City had been taken over in July by American businessman Tom Wagner and his US-based Shelby Companies Limited.

In a welcoming assertion, Wagner mentioned that Brady is not going to solely chair Birmingham’s new advisory board but in addition have a direct impression on the club’s males’s, ladies’s and academy groups as properly as their international advertising and marketing and business efforts.

And with that, Brady joins the ever-lengthening record of sporting superstars and celebrity names who’ve taken possession stakes in soccer golf equipment.

Whether it’s ex-footballers such as David Beckham (Inter Miami CF), dominant athletes in different sports activities such as Patrick Mahomes (Sporting KC), Kevin Durant (Philadelphia Union) and LeBron James (Liverpool), music icons from Elton John (previously the chairman of Watford) to Christina Aguilera (Angel City FC) or Hollywood stars together with Ryan Reynolds (Wrexham), Will Ferrell (LAFC) and Natalie Portman (Angel City FC), club possession is changing into an more and more interesting proposition to celebrities.

It is likely to be a ardour for the game, a private connection, strictly enterprise or, frankly, simply because they’ll, however we’re seeing extra and celebs dipping their toes into soccer possession for all types of causes. In that vein, we checked out different celebrities who’ve possession stakes in soccer golf equipment all over the world.

This article has been up to date because it was first printed June 16, 2020

NFL legend J.J. Watt and former United States midfielder Kealia Watt introduced that they’d grow to be minority buyers in Burnley in May 2023, shortly after the English club had gained the second-tier Championship and with it secured promotion again to the Premier League. The pair attended some matches at Turf Moor as Vincent Kompany’s aspect returned to the highest flight only a yr after being relegated, nevertheless it’s not simply the boys’s workforce that they’ve their eye on. Kealia Watt mentioned: “In the US, I’ve seen the NWSL grow into something really incredible, and we’d love to be a part of growing the women’s team here and be a part of their journey.”

Christina Aguilera (Angel City FC)

In February 2022, Christina Aguilera turned one of the vital latest high-profile additions to the star-studded possession group at NWSL franchise Angel City FC alongside Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Serena Williams and plenty of outstanding former members of the USWNT such as Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, Shannon Boxx and Julie Foudy.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos (Campobasso)

U.S. tv personalities Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos took the marginally unorthodox choice to grow to be part-owners in a small, lower-league Italian workforce earlier this yr after buying shares in Campobasso, who performed within the regionalised fifth tier, one rung under Serie D. Nicknamed “Lupi” (“Wolves”), Campobasso performed in Serie B through the Nineteen Eighties however have by no means since managed to rescale these lofty heights, going by a number of collapses and reformations within the meantime. Indeed, the club had been banned from taking part within the Italian league system altogether on the finish of the 2020-21 Serie C season as a consequence of “administrative irregularities. They then merged with another local side to re-enter the pyramid in the fifth tier. With Ripa and Consuelos on board, the Lupi immediately set about clawing their way back up the league and quickly sealed promotion to Serie D in 2022-23 after topping the table for the majority of the campaign.

Patrick Mahomes (Sporting KC and KC Current)

Super Bowl Champion. NFL MVP. And now the most recent member of the @SportingKC possession group!

Welcome, @PatrickMahomes, to @MLS! pic.twitter.com/02QhQKrAGs

— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) July 27, 2021

Not content with merely being the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback, Mahomes is also part of the ownership groups of his adopted city’s MLS and NWSL teams. Mahomes joined the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals baseball team in 2020, purchased a stake in SKC in 2021 and in January 2023 it was announced that he had become the first active NFL player to have equity in an NWSL club. “I’m grateful for the prospect to affix my spouse as a part of the Kansas City Current’s possession workforce,” the Super Bowl LIV winner said. “Brittany and the Longs have executed an unimaginable job constructing a world-class group. I’m excited to affix one other championship-caliber club as it continues to make historical past.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (Wrexham FC)

We’d like to welcome our new shirt sponsor, you may have heard of them 👀@TikTok_UK | @TikTok_US

🔴⚪ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/JgJs6QUj7H

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) June 30, 2021

Actors Reynolds and McElhenney joined forces to spearhead a surprise Hollywood takeover of Wrexham in November 2020, with the club sitting 14th in the fifth-tier National League. The 157-year-old Welsh club have been playing non-league football since 2008 when they last dropped out of the Football League, but that didn’t dissuade Reynolds and McElhenney from vowing to awake the “sleeping large” and transform the Red Dragons into a “international drive.” Wrexham went on to finish eighth in 2020-21, missing out on the playoffs by a single point, some way short of their highest-ever league finish: 15th in the old Second Division (now the Championship) back in 1978-79. The duo have been having lots of fun in their new role as sports owners, and a Disney+ show about their adventures at The Racecourse Ground called “Welcome to Wrexham” has proved to be a huge success among fans.

Kevin Durant (Philadelphia Union)

NBA superstar Kevin Durant announced in June 2020 that he had purchased an ownership stake in Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. The Brooklyn Nets forward and former NBA MVP bought an initial 5% stake in the club with an option to purchase an additional 5% in the future. The move “simply made sense” according to Durant, who twice previously made attempts to join the ownership group of D.C. United. “I’ve been a fan of the game, after which seeing how briskly the recognition of the league was rising, seeing extra followers pop up in numerous cities across the nation, after which seeing how these franchises impression the town’s companies and other people individually was very intriguing,” Durant told ESPN in an exclusive interview at the time. Just a few months after Durant came on board, the Union claimed the Supporters’ Shield as the first-place team in Major League Soccer’s regular season.

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LeBron James (Liverpool)

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has won four NBA titles, four league and finals MVP awards and has been an All-Star 17 times, and also owns a minority stake in Premier League club Liverpool. The future Hall of Famer bought 2% of the Merseyside club in 2011, and has that investment paid off! In 2018, Business Insider reported that James’ $6.5m investment was worth $32m. Since then, Liverpool have won the Champions League and been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 30 years, so suffice to say, James has over 32 million reasons to belt out “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Will Ferrell, Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm, Nomar Garciaparra (LAFC)

LAFC is preparing for its fifth season in MLS, but the Los Angeles new boys already have a real Hollywood feel to them. While the majority of the club is owned by local investors Brandon Beck, Larry Berg and Bennett Rosenthal, comedian Will Ferrell, NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, ex-USWNT legend Mia Hamm and Hamm’s husband and former MLB All-Star Nomar Garciaparra all also own a stake in The Black and Gold. On the field, LAFC has been one of the league’s best and most exciting clubs since its inception, winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2019, while off it there have been plenty of laughs thanks to Ferrell. The former “Saturday Night Live” star — additionally a Chelsea supporter — marked the aspect’s first-ever contest by conducting an interview with ESPN as “Anchorman” character Ron Burgundy.

Durant’s former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden purchased a 5% stake in the Houston Dynamo in July 2019. The Dynamo, who also count former world champion boxer Oscar de la Hoya among their owners, missed the playoffs in Harden’s first season aboard but are valued at a lofty $475m. The club even made him feel at home by giving their entire roster “The Beard” treatment on the club’s official site.

BeardApp > FaceApp pic.twitter.com/JlOUbyoE84

— Houston Dynamo (@HoustonDynamo) July 19, 2019

Elton John (Watford)

An ever-present at Vicarage Road, the British pop icon has owned Watford on two separate occasions, first from 1976 to 1987 and later from 1997 to 2002. Still an honorary life president of the club, John regularly attends Watford home matches and even had a stand named after him in 2014. John’s first spell as chairman coincided with Watford rising from the fourth tier to the top flight, highlighted by a second-place finish in 1983 and an FA Cup final run in 1984. The artist’s hit “I’m Still Standing” was named the Hornets’ official club anthem in 2019, while John’s son Zachary joined Watford’s Academy in 2018.

Drew Carey (Seattle Sounders)

The actor, comedian and game show host became one of the first American celebrities to get into soccer ownership when he bought a 7.5% stake in MLS expansion side Seattle Sounders in 2007. An avid Cleveland sports fan, Carey first became interested in soccer after visiting Spain and his love for the game has only blossomed from there. The “Whose Line Is It Anyway” and “The Price Is Right” host’s involvement with the Sounders has been fruitful as Seattle has won two MLS Cups (2016, 2019) and emerged as one of MLS’ most valuable clubs. Carey is not an absentee owner, either, as he regularly attends home games and serves as the president of Sounders FC Alliance, the club’s official membership group.

Matthew McConaughey (Austin FC)

“All right, all right, all right.” The “Dazed and Confused,” “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” star purchased into his beloved school metropolis’s foray into soccer in 2019. Austin FC then joined MLS in 2021, making their league debut with a reasonably underwhelming run of six straight defeats. Arguably, the franchise had already scored their first main victory by managing to get McConaughey — the unofficial mayor of Austin — on board within the first place. Their first league factors got here courtesy of a powerful 4-1 drubbing of Portland Timbers in early July. This was after McConaughey had delivered a motivational drum performance earlier than the earlier dwelling sport towards San Jose Earthquakes in scenes eerily much like his chest-thumping, rhythmic-humming, trance-like cameo in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Everything Zlatan does appears to make headlines, so it was no shock that the brash striker’s announcement that he was shopping for 25% of Swedish club Hammarby in 2019 ruffled some feathers. A product of the Malmo youth system, Ibrahimovic’s choice to spend money on a rival club like Hammarby was labeled a “betrayal” in Malmo and even provoked Malmo supporters to vandalise after which topple a statue of the striker exterior of the club’s dwelling floor. Zlatan wasn’t too fazed by the backlash, calling the group “kindergarten level.” Remember, this can be a man who has in contrast himself to lions, Ferraris and even God!

Russell Wilson and Ciara (Seattle Sounders)

They love their sports activities and stars in Seattle, so it’s becoming that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and spouse and Grammy award-winning singer Ciara joined the Seattle Sounders possession group in 2019. At their unveiling as homeowners, the Pro Bowl QB referred to as soccer a “transformational sport” and added that the unifying energy and inclusiveness of the game performed an enormous half within the couple’s choice to become involved.

Real Valladolid are a quite inconspicuous club, having flip-flopped between Spain’s Primera and Segunda Divisions for a lot of their historical past. That did not deter Ronaldo. The Brazil legend, who gained two World Cups and two Ballon d’Ors throughout his illustrious enjoying profession, purchased a 51% share within the Spanish club in 2018 for €30m and now holds an 82% stake within the Blanquivioletas. Valladolid lasted three seasons in LaLiga earlier than they had been relegated final season.

Diplo (Phoenix Rising)

One of the world’s hottest and profitable DJs, Diplo is one other celebrity who has an actual affection for “The Beautiful Game.” The three-time Grammy award winner purchased a stake in USL aspect Phoenix Rising in 2016 and makes up a star-studded possession group that features Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz and ex-MLB pitcher Brandon McCarthy. The club nonetheless has designs on becoming a member of MLS, and beforehand featured Diplo’s document label Mad Decent as a jersey sponsor.

Ex-NBA star Steve Nash’s love for soccer is well-documented, with the previous level guard a die-hard Tottenham Hotspur supporter and an occasional Champions League analyst. Born in South Africa, Nash comes from a soccer household. His brother Martin earned 38 caps for Canada, whereas his sister Joann captained her school soccer workforce for 3 years. The former Phoenix Suns star and two-time NBA MVP first purchased into his hometown Whitecaps again in 2008 after which Spanish aspect Mallorca in 2016. Nash’s funding in Mallorca (he was a part of a bunch that bought a $21m stake) has proved a masterstroke as Mallorca has earned back-to-back promotions and this season are again in La Liga for the primary time since 2013.

Class of ’92: David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt (Salford City)

The “Class of ’92” consisting of David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt rose to prominence in Manchester nearly 30 years in the past, profitable a mixed 120 trophies at Old Trafford beneath legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson. In 2014, 5 of the six returned to the Manchester space to buy eighth-tier Salford City, whose floor resides simply 5 miles away from the brilliant lights of “The Theatre of Dreams.” Beckham joined his former teammates by additionally shopping for a ten% stake in 2019, and the club has flourished since. Salford, thanks largely to the monetary backing from the Class of ’92, earned 4 promotions in 5 seasons to achieve the fourth tier (League Two) and the Football League for the primary time ever. The club unveiled a brand new stadium in 2017 and are the topic of the docuseries “Class of ’92: Out of Their League,” which is on the market on Netflix. Beckham has additionally struck out on his personal, and he’s the president and co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami.