Thibaut Courtois is one of many sportspeople to invest in the French club
Words such as "speed" and "acceleration" permeate conversation about the French town of Le Mans - synonymous with the iconic 24-hour race that it hosts - but in this instance they reference its football club, now backed by big-name athletes and on a rapid rise.
It has been a long road back for Le Mans FC since they last featured in Ligue 1 in 2010.
Bankruptcy in 2013 meant they dropped to the sixth tier of French football. Last summer, the club returned to Ligue 2 while also welcoming new owners in the form of OutField.
The Brazilian investors brought Novak Djokovic, Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen with them. Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois would later join the project.
