One of the world's richest footballers is eager to flex his wealth by considering a bid to purchase his former club.
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The story
Danish striker, Martin Braithwaite, is considering a move to buy LaLiga outfit Espanyol, only weeks after leaving the club as a free agent to join Gremio in Brazil.
The 33-year-old ex-FC Barcelona striker saw his contract expire with the Spanish side after helping them win promotion back to LaLiga, contributing 22 goals and two assists in 39 games.
It's been revealed by Spanish outlet, Marca, that Braithwaite's relationship with the Espanyol board is a frosty one. The publication suggests the Dane wants to purchase a majority stake at Espanyol to uproot the current owners, whom he felt disrespected by.
"Now we have to enjoy it and see what happens in the future. I don't know anything, I'll talk about it in the next few days. A year ago the club offered me a renewal, but it was disrespectful. Let's see if they want me to stay here because the offer I received a year ago shows that they don't trust me," said the Braithwaite in the middle of Espanyol's promotion celebrations.
Branthwaite was told that playing in the second division in Spain would mean he was not in contention to feature in Euro 2024, by Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand last year, but was not allowed to leave. That is also said to have played a factor in the Dane's plans to buy the Spanish club.
According to Forbes, Braithwaite has invested much of his income from his stories football career, enabling him to develop a property empire with shares in NYCE Companies worth $287 million (R5.3 billion) alongside his uncle, Philip Michael.
Having originally invested $850 000 (R15.7 million) in 2017, Braithwaite's business venture has expanded to encompass 1 500 properties, with an additional 500 currently in development.
It doesn't end there for Braithwaite, who's business empire extends to a restaurant, Iguana Gavá Mar in Barcelona, a home-meal delivery service called Braithwaite's Kitchen and a clothing line, as per Forbes.
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The football journeyman has a reported net worth of over R5.3 billion.
