Three World Cup winners part of investment group buying own top flight club for just £34m

THREE World Cup winners are part of an investment group that has bought a 90 per cent stake in Portuguese top-flight club Estrela da Amadora. Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels and Lucas Hernandez are among the football stars involved in the takeover, alongside former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Yann Sommer. The Estrela Amadora stadium Credit: Alamy Thomas Muller won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 in Brazil Credit: Getty The German-led consortium has completed a deal worth around £34million to acquire the majority stake in the Lisbon-based club’s professional football operation. The deal was officially confirmed by Estrela on Tuesday, with the consortium led by ADvantage and LEAD, backed by the KI Group. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Dream Team is back, free, and there’s £100,000 up for grabs! Muller and Hummels were part of Germany‘s 2014 World Cup-winning squad, while Hernandez was a member of France‘s 2018 World Cup-winning team. Sommer, who currently plays for Club Brugge, is also part of the new ownership group. The four former Bayern players are not expected to be involved in the day-to-day running of the club. Instead, 35-year-old Johannes Mosmang has been appointed president of the SAD, replacing Paulo Lopo. Mosmang spent around a decade working in Bayern’s player-management department and is understood to know the quartet from his time at the German giants. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS He said: “Estrela Amadora is a traditional Portuguese football club with deep roots in Amadora, a unique identity, and a passionate community. Most read in Sport “The club also boasts a special feature: its own stadium. “We are highly motivated to begin this new chapter and to implement a project in a disciplined and sustainable manner, one that the fans, the community, and everyone associated with Estrela can be proud of.” The takeover represents a remarkable rise in Estrela’s fortunes. French defender Lucas Hernandez won the World Cup in 2018 Credit: Afp or licensors Mats Hummels was also part of the Germany team that won the World Cup in 2014 Credit: Getty Yann Sommer is the only one who hasn’t won the World Cup but he’s one of the investors too Credit: Getty Muller will hope that he’s as successful off the pitch a he’s been on it The club was declared insolvent in 2011, with its senior side eventually re-established in the lower reaches of Portuguese football. After a merger with Sintra in 2020, Estrela returned to the third tier before climbing back into the top flight in 2023. They have remained in Portugal‘s Primeira Liga ever since. The scale of the investment is even more striking given that Paulo Lopo reportedly acquired the club for just £61000 in 2020. Six years later, 90 per cent of the professional football operation has changed hands for £34m. The new owners will now hope their star-studded backing can help Estrela establish themselves among Portugal’s elite and continue their rapid rise. Comment now