Beckham, Ibrahimovic and now Mata? 10 football clubs owned by famous players

Juan Mata is now the latest high-profile player or former player to join the ownership game after he bought a share in MLS expansion side San Diego FC.

The former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder will become the first active international soccer player to hold an ownership stake in Major League Soccer, with the Spaniard currently plying his trade with Australian A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers. San Diego FC will enter the MLS in 2025 as the 30th team in the competition. They will play their games at the SnapDragon Stadium in California, which can hold 35,000 fans.

The World Cup and Champions League winner says it is an "exciting opportunity to help build something truly special". San Diego chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said the 36-year-old is a "serial winner" and believes he aligns with the club's ambition to "build a winning team for the long-term". But Mata is just the latest famous face from the pitch to take the reins of a club from the boardroom instead of the dugout. Record Sport looks through some names you may hold dear and how they are looking to build a new legacy by pulling the strings.

Old Golden Balls was savvy with this one. A clause was placed in his contract when he signed for La Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007 that he could buy an MLS expansion team for $25 million. And he pounced in March 2014 and Inter Miami was born. Currently, Beckham is the president and co-owner of the American Major League Soccer side Inter Miami CF, with club operations starting in 2020.

The club has shot to stardom on the field as well with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba joining the Beckham revolution.

In 2014, the Manchester United Class of '92 bought over Salford City