MADRID – Foreign investors have their eyes on the Spanish football league, LaLiga. Seven clubs from the Primera División are now owned by foreign funds and business magnates.
These are investors from different parts of the world, including Arab countries, Israel, Mexico, China, Singapore and the United States. Moreover, the Spanish sports world appears to be an interesting area for foreign investors. Last year, no less than €2.176 billion was invested. This trend will continue in the first quarter of 2023 with an investment of €15 million in Spanish sports clubs. Furthermore, RCD Mallorca stands out as the main recipient of foreign funds.
Spotlight on RCD Mallorca
This Balearic club is now owned by ACQ Legacy Partners, a somewhat mysterious American company. The club recently expanded its capital by €14.7 million. Yet Mallorca is not the pioneer in this area.
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Previous foreign acquisitions
Valencia CF was one of the first clubs to come into foreign hands. In 2014, Singaporean businessman Peter Lim invested €100 million to acquire 70% of the shares. Now, nine years later, he controls 90.5% of the club through his company Meriton Holdings Limited. Granada CF has been owned by Chinese entrepreneur Juang Lizhang since 2016, after the Pozzo family sold their shares.
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