The list of sportspeople who are co-owners of an MLS franchise Giorgio Chiellini joining LAF is the latest example

With a surprise announcement arrived on the evening of Tuesday, July 8, Giorgio Chiellini became a co-owner of Los Angeles FC, the MLS franchise he played for during the final part of his career. "LAFC exceeded every expectation – wrote Chiellini –: it gave me the opportunity to end my playing career in the best possible way and, immediately after, to grow with my first executive role off the pitch. For these reasons, last year I expressed my desire to acquire shares in the club, and today I can finally announce it to everyone. In this new role as owner, I will bring all my experience and passion to the organization, while of course maintaining my role and commitments with Juventus".

The reference to Juventus is tied to the fact that in September 2024, Chiellini joined the club as a representative for institutional relations, and in June he was officially appointed Director of Football Strategy. Now Chiellini, who graduated in Business Administration at the Università degli Studi in Torino, takes on a new administrative role as Owner of LAFC, a position he shares with 24 other individuals within the franchise's management. The two most notable names in this group are undoubtedly Magic Johnson and Will Ferrell, but overall the LAFC board consists of figures from various sectors, from tech to entertainment, including executives from other professional leagues like MLB and NBA. Leading this team is Bennett Rosenthal, the man who acquired the franchise shares in 2016 and is now the Lead Managing Owner of the richest franchise in the entire MLS. According to the latest Forbes estimates from January 2025, LAFC is valued at $1.28 billion and is one of five MLS franchises with a valuation exceeding $1 billion, alongside Inter Miami, LA Galaxy, Atlanta United, and New York City FC.

Although the level of football has not reached the expected standards—as shown by the performances of MLS franchises in the Club World Cup, with two out of three being eliminated in the first round—MLS stands unrivaled economically and is the only league that can compete with the Premier League in terms of revenue. In 2022, broadcast rights were sold to AppleTV in a 10-year deal worth $2.5 billion. The deal with adidas, the official kit supplier for all teams, was renewed in 2023 through 2030 for a total of $830 million. Overall, according to Forbes, the average value of an MLS franchise is $721 million, and according to Sportico, 19 of the 50 most valuable teams in the world are from MLS.

An extraordinary flow of money that has inevitably attracted major figures from the worlds of sports and showbiz. The first to recognize the league’s potential was David Beckham, who in 2007, when he signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy, included a special clause in his contract allowing him to purchase a franchise for just $25 million. That clause eventually led to the creation of Inter Miami, the team that—thanks to the signing of Lionel Messi—has become the symbol of MLS worldwide. But the list doesn’t end there. Matthew McConaughey is co-owner of Austin FC, James Harden holds the same role with Houston Dynamo, Patrick Mahomes is part of the ownership group of Sporting Kansas City, Kevin Durant has shares in the Philadelphia Union, Steve Nash is co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Reese Witherspoon are minority owners of Nashville Soccer Club.