Hyperice lands soccer’s hottest new star as investor, ambassador

Europe’s richest soccer clubs are examining their financial statements to see if they have the estimated $215 million transfer fee needed to bring Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland to their team next season.

Irvine’s Hyperice already beat the big clubs to get the 20-year-old Norwegian’s signature.

Haaland, widely considered the world’s best soccer player under the age of 21, last week announced a partnership with the local maker of massage guns and other sports recovery products.

Along with being an athlete ambassador for Hyperice, he’s also an investor. The investment, the amount of which was undisclosed, marks his first equity stake in a business, last week’s announcement said. He joins tennis star Naomi Osaka; Kansas

City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and San Diego Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. among the ranks of athlete investors in Hyperice, which last year also announced getting an equity investment from the NFL. The 11-year-old company’s valuation is reportedly in the $1 billion range.