Three football stars join forces: They acquire 90% of Estrela

A group of investors including prominent figures in German football Thomas Müller, Mats Hummels and Yann Sommer has acquired a 90% stake in Portuguese club Estrela, based in Amadora, for €40 million, TodayPress TV reports, citing Record.

This is the largest deal in Portuguese football involving the acquisition of a publicly traded sports company.

For comparison, the club’s previous owner, Paulo Lopo, purchased Estrela for just €72,000 in July 2020, when the team was playing in the third division. The club returned to the top flight, the Primeira Liga, in the 2023/24 season.

However, Estrela’s financial situation remains complicated. In May 2026, the club applied to the court for the restructuring of debt exceeding €25 million.

Thomas Müller won the German championship 13 times with Bayern Munich and the German Cup six times. He won the Champions League twice, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. With the German national team, he became world champion in 2014.

During his career, Mats Hummels played for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Roma. He won the German championship five times, the German Cup three times and the German Super Cup five times. Hummels also became world champion with Germany in 2014.

Swiss national team goalkeeper Yann Sommer played for Basel, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern Munich and Inter. Sommer won the German championship with Bayern Munich and, with Inter, won the Italian championship twice and the Italian Super Cup once.

Namiq HUN