Thomas Müller among World Cup winners to buy Portuguese club Estrela in $47M deal

Three World Cup winners are among an international consortium that has bought a majority stake in Portuguese top-flight club Estrela.

Thomas Müller, Mats Hummels and Lucas Hernández -- as well as Yann Sommer -- are part of the investment group that has bought a 90% stake in the club.

The group reportedly paid €40 million ($47 million) to former owner and president Paulo Lopo, who bought Estrela for €72,000 ($84,000) in 2020.

The deal was confirmed by Estrela on Tuesday. The consortium is led by ADvantage and LEAD, with the support of the KI Group.

Müller and Hummels were an integral part of Germany's World Cup success in 2014, while Hernández helped France win soccer's top prize four years later.

Former Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer currently plays for Club Brugge, having left Serie A champion Inter Milan at the end of last season.

Müller, who is at Vancouver Whitecaps, played with the other three at various times during his lengthy Bayern Munich career.

Johannes Mösmang will take over the presidency of Estrela from Lopo.

The 35-year-old Mösmang has spent the past decade at Bayern, working in the player-management department.

It is an astonishing rise to the limelight for Estrela, who were declared insolvent in 2011.

After a merger with Sintra in 2020, Estrela returned to the third tier of Portuguese football before climbing back into the top flight in 2023.

They finished 15th in the 18-team Primeira Liga last season, securing safety thanks to a better head-to-head record over Casa Pia, the team immediately below them.

Estrela are based in Amadora, 10 kilometers (six miles) northwest of Lisbon.