Kylian Mbappé is expanding his interests beyond the football field. The French soccer star, who recently joined Real Madrid, has become an investor in luxury watch trading platform Wristcheck, according to a report from Hypebeast on Friday.
Mbappé, 26, is a longtime watch enthusiast and has served as a brand ambassador for Swiss watchmaker Hublot since 2018. Now, he’s joining a group of high-profile backers at Wristcheck, including rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z, who took an equity stake in the company during a $5 million funding round last summer.
“I’m thrilled to join Wristcheck as an investor through Coalition Capital,” Mbappé said in a press statement. “As a Hublot ambassador and someone passionate about watches and innovation, I see Wristcheck as a platform that truly understands the next generation of collectors. They’re reshaping the watch industry with a forward-thinking approach that blends technology, transparency, and creativity.”
Wristcheck was launched in 2020 by Austen Chu, a well-known watch collector and Instagram personality. The Hong Kong-based company provides a marketplace for buying and selling authenticated pre-owned watches, with every timepiece verified by Swiss-trained watchmakers. Since its launch, Wristcheck has raised over $13.6 million from investors including the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners GBA, and K3 Ventures.
Mbappé’s move into watch investing follows a growing trend among celebrities. Along with Jay-Z, other high-profile investors in the sector include Cristiano Ronaldo and Charles Leclerc, who have backed Chrono24, and John Legend, J Balvin, and Kevin Hart, who are involved with Bezel.
On the pitch, Mbappé has had a stellar career. He won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France, becoming the youngest player since Pelé to score in a World Cup final. During his time with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), he secured multiple Ligue 1 titles and domestic cups. Individually, he has earned the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and consistently ranks among Europe’s top scorers.
With this new investment, Mbappé adds entrepreneur to his growing list of achievements, merging his love of fine timepieces with business acumen.