Thibaut Courtois has spent two decades being told where to be and what to do by coaches and clubs. Now the Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper is trying his hand at calling the shots himself, through an investment platform called NXTPLAY that he co-founded earlier this year with Gonzalo Vila.
The venture already holds stakes in three football clubs, KRC Genk, Le Mans FC and CD Extremadura, along with a lighting and fan-experience partnership with Signify and a stake in the gaming platform PlayVault. Courtois discussed the project on the sidelines of the World Football Summit in Madrid, where he and Vila presented NXTPLAY to the industry.
Bringing more athletes on board
Part of NXTPLAY's mission, Courtois explained, is persuading other elite athletes to invest rather than simply cash sponsorship cheques. "Some are more interested in it, some share a vision, and sometimes you need to speak to an entourage, but often they see an opportunity to see what you are doing," he said. "Others have brand deals and are less worried about investments, but eventually doing what I do I think I will create more interest when they see that what they do is good and that they can trust me with it."
He believes his growing profile as a businessman, including his presence on LinkedIn, is opening doors that wouldn't exist for "a usual footballer." As for how he approaches the work itself, Courtois draws a straight line back to his day job. "One big thing is the ambition to do things well, and the work ethic," he said. "As a professional footballer, you want to do things well and grow."
He also credits the coaches he's played under for shaping his approach to leadership. "Leadership is something important, the way to delegate and surround yourself with people who understand," he said, pointing to Vila and the rest of the NXTPLAY team. "Learning from people like Ancelotti and Mourinho, who are very different but very good leaders and know how to build a team, that's our goal, to build a dream team."
Going home to Genk
Of the three clubs in NXTPLAY's portfolio, only one produced Courtois himself. He joined KRC Genk's academy at the age of eight before leaving for Chelsea a decade ago, and he says the investment carries personal weight the others don't. "It was an amazing feeling," he said of signing the deal. "I owe everything to them, and the great youth academy which helped me grow into the person and goalkeeper I am today."
That academy has kept churning out goalkeepers since Courtois left, with Genk having sold Mike Penders to Chelsea, Lucca Brughmans to Liverpool and Senne Lammens to Manchester United. Courtois calls it a source of pride and outlined an ambition to help the club compete at the top of Belgian football. "We want to help companies to grow and become big companies, inside of technology or media, and football teams like Genk to help them become the main players in the Belgian league. We look at Club Brugge as the team to beat with their investment, stadium expansion, but we believe we can compete."
He also has a personal wish tied to his old club. "My dream was always to play against Genk. It's never happened," he said, recalling how his Atletico Madrid side narrowly avoided facing them in the 2012 Europa League. "A Genk versus Real Madrid Champions League game would be a dream way for me to finish my career."
Looking beyond Europe
NXTPLAY's holdings so far are all European, but Courtois says the United States market is on his radar, citing the scale of recent franchise valuations. "The size of sports teams in the U.S. is huge," he said. "You can see they keep growing, and the U.S. sports market is growing. The love I have for those sports makes a great connection. We want to dream big, but it's always a step at a time."
The platform's stake in PlayVault reflects a similar instinct, one Courtois traces to streaming during the pandemic. "It's huge," he said of esports' potential. "Everyone can play or follow streams on their phone, it's a way of connecting." He wants NXTPLAY's athletes integrated directly into the platform and specifically mentioned an ambition to join the Formula 1 esports grid. "A thirteen or fourteen year old kid with a passion for motorsport can find friends, a place to belong, and fight for a dream. Why can't it end up being a real race car?"
What comes next
Courtois isn't ready to say what NXTPLAY looks like once he retires, only that football and business will likely stay intertwined. "I haven't decided yet," he admitted. Coaching a first team holds little appeal, despite him holding UEFA's A and B licenses. "I'm not sure I would want to be a coach of a first team, you would get old really fast with all the players."
He's drawn instead to development work, pointing to Genk's academy as a model. "Maybe working in the goalkeeping department at Real Madrid, establishing a top academy, developing a Thibaut Courtois instead of buying one," he said, though he added that remains a future project. "I still want to play five or six more years."
The plan for NXTPLAY itself is more immediate. "We want to grow into an important investment vehicle in the world of sport and media," Courtois said, adding that raising a dedicated fund is the next step toward reaching new markets.
