Thibaut Courtois returns to the club where his football story began. And he is not coming empty handed. Through NXTPLAY, the sports, media and technology investment platform he co founded, the club icon is making a minority investment in KRC Genk. The decision was officially ratified on Monday evening during the club’s General Assembly.
With this investment, KRC Genk welcomes its first external investor since the club’s football operations were transferred into a separate football company earlier this year. This structural change is intended to allow the club to position itself more strongly in an increasingly competitive international football market.
NXTPLAY, headquartered in Madrid, is a sports, media and technology investment platform built by a syndicate of founders, athletes and institutional partners, with a portfolio active across various geographical markets and sports verticals. KRC Genk will become the flagship club within the platform’s football portfolio, anchored by Thibaut Courtois as co founder and partner, alongside the platform’s existing football investments in Le Mans FC and CD Extremadura.
The fact that Thibaut Courtois is this first partner makes the move historic. The former Genk goalkeeper and number one of the Belgian national team is choosing the club where his journey to the top of world football began.
“I have pursued excellence all my life. At KRC Genk, I feel that same fire and ambition. This investment truly feels like coming home. Through this commitment, I want to help the club continue to grow and strengthen its sporting ambitions. From Limburg to the top of Europe,” said Thibaut Courtois.
An ambitious long term project
Courtois and NXTPLAY are making a long term minority investment in KRC Genk. This commitment is a first step within a broader capital increase programme that will further strengthen the club in the coming years and could generate up to €60 million.
As part of the partnership, NXTPLAY will also gain representation on the Board of Directors. As a result, Courtois will not only become a shareholder but will also be strategically involved in the club’s future sporting and non sporting development.
“Today, we are taking an important step in strengthening KRC Genk for the future,” said Head of Football Dimitri de Condé. “We want to reinforce our position as a structural top club in Belgium while continuing to grow internationally. Through this investment, Thibaut brings an enormous amount of football expertise into our club. As an international face of our brand, he opens doors that remain closed to others. This will help us attract even more national and international talent to our club.”
A flagship project with global appeal
For NXTPLAY, the investment in KRC Genk is more than a financial participation. The club is set to become the international flagship of the platform, supported by NXTPLAY’s full strategic strength: a commercial cross portfolio platform, an international brand syndicate backed by world class athletes, and broad access to international business and innovation networks. The goal is to demonstrate that KRC Genk, as a talent factory, can compete even more prominently at international level.
Courtois and NXTPLAY have already gained experience through investments in international football projects, including Le Mans FC and CD Extremadura. The decision to invest in KRC Genk is therefore both strategic and personal.
“The journey KRC Genk has made over the past decades is simply impressive. The club is built on a stable sporting and financial foundation and has a top academy. I want to play my part in helping it continue to grow. I grew up here and experienced the strength of this club first hand. That is why this investment has not only strategic value for me, but also great symbolic significance,” said Courtois.
Continuity and strengthening of the organisation
During the General Assembly, several organisational decisions were also confirmed to further safeguard the continuity of the club.
Since the departure of Luc Hooybergs, Peter Croonen has served as interim CEO. On Monday evening, the General Assembly approved the permanent appointment of that role within the daily operations of KRC Genk. As part of good governance, former vice chairman Mathieu Cilissen will now take on the role of chairman. Herman Nys will become vice chairman.
In addition, KRC Genk has extended the contract of Head of Football Dimitri de Condé until 2035. In doing so, the club underlines its confidence in its sporting direction and in the expertise that helped lay the foundations for the investment by Thibaut Courtois and NXTPLAY.
“Dimitri combines in depth football knowledge with a proven track record in negotiations. His expertise has played an important role in the independent development of KRC Genk and remains essential if we want to continue exceeding expectations in the future,” concluded Peter Croonen.
About NXTPLAY
NXTPLAY is a sports, media and technology investment platform headquartered in Madrid. The platform was co founded by Gonzalo Vila and Thibaut Courtois and manages a portfolio across football, motorsport and brand verticals, supported by an international syndicate of founders, athletes and institutional partners. Within its football portfolio, NXTPLAY currently invests in Le Mans FC, CD Extremadura and, as the platform’s international flagship, KRC Genk.
