Two former F1 drivers team up in superstar-backed Le Mans project

Former F1 drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen have joined forces with tennis superstar Novak Djokovic and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to back Le Mans FC's remarkable rise from financial ruin to the brink of French top-flight football.

The French club, which crashed into bankruptcy in 2013 and plummeted to the sixth tier, needs just one point from Saturday's match against Bastia to secure promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time since 2010.

The star-studded investment group arrived last summer through Brazilian firm OutField, transforming a club that had clawed its way back to Ligue 2 through sheer determination.

"We wanted to bring really high-profile people that could help us leverage the project from a branding perspective," OutField co-founder Pedro Oliveira told BBC Sport.

The motorsport connection proves natural for a town synonymous with the legendary 24-hour endurance race. Massa and Magnussen's involvement stems from their relationship with Georgios Frangulis, founder of Oakberry and now an investor at Le Mans.

Frangulis, who is married to world number one tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, also helped broker the deal with Djokovic.

"[Frangulis] told us that Djokovic is crazy about football. We spoke to Djokovic, he liked the project, so he decided to invest," said Oliveira.

Courtois joined the project in February after "really liking the whole idea of what [Le Mans] are building", reaching out to the investors directly.

Opportunity rather than necessity

Club president Thierry Gomez, who arrived in 2016 to help rebuild following bankruptcy, emphasises the importance of sporting pedigree among investors.

"It is important that they know the world of sport because it is a world that has its own way of working," Gomez said.

The takeover represented opportunity rather than necessity. Le Mans was financially stable when OutField approached, but needed external investment to break through perceived limitations.

"There was no urgency; the club didn't need help, but wanted to grow," Gomez added. "Rather than a question of survival, as it is for some, it was a question of finding someone else to take over."

OutField's strategy centres on youth development rather than expensive signings. The club's academy, closed since 2013, will reopen in July as the project's cornerstone.

"Today, buying players, giving big wages, isn't on the roadmap. We'll see later, [if] we're in Ligue 1. It is when we are there that we would have to adapt," said Gomez.

The development philosophy reflects practical necessity and historical strength. Le Mans previously nurtured talents including Didier Drogba and Gervinho.

"Developing our academy allows us to have players that we would otherwise not be able to access. Having a Kylian Mbappe at 24 or 25 isn't possible, [but] having tomorrow's Mbappe at 14, 15 or 16 at Le Mans is. That's why it is important for us," Gomez explained.

Manager Patrick Videira has guided the club to second place in Ligue 2, achieving back-to-back promotions after the initial target was simply consolidation following their rise from the amateur National division.

Oliveira outlined ambitious long-term goals: "I would say that our goal in seven years is to consolidate [a place in] Ligue 1, to be one of the top 10 academies in France and to have a brand that is recognisable in global football."