SOCCER: Four former Bayern stars join group acquiring majority stake in Portuguese club Estrela

A quartet of former Bayern Munich players including German World Cup winners Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels are part of an investment group which has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Estrela da Amadora, the Portuguese club said.

"Estrela da Amadora hereby informs that the acquisition of a majority stake of 90% of the SAD's share capital by an international consortium led by ADvantage and LEAD, with the support of the KI Group, has been completed," the club said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The new shareholder structure brings together investors with experience in sports, investment, and technology, as well as a group of strategic investors connected to international football, including Thomas Mueller, Mats Hummels, Yann Sommer, and Lucas Hernandez."

Portuguese newspaper A Bola said the group paid €40 million ($46.65 million) for the stake in the top-flight side.

Estrela were founded in 2020, nine years after the dissolution of their similarly named predecessor due to financial issues.

They finished 15th in the Primeira Liga last season.

While Hummels retired last year, 36-year-old Mueller plays for Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer. Hernandez plays for Paris Saint-Germain while Swiss goalkeeper Sommer plies his trade with Belgian side Club Brugge.

Mueller and Hummels were part of the German squad which won the World Cup in 2014, while defender Hernandez helped France to victory four years later in Russia.

($1 = 0.8574 euros)

-Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters