Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has spoken about potentially investing in the club while at the Portugal Football Summit in Lisbon.
The Reds defender is currently on international duty with his national team ahead of games against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary, but attended the summit, which is being attended by GIVEMESPORT correspondents Ben Jacobs and Paul Gilmour.
Dalot spoke while on stage with a representative from the investment company APEX, whom he has partnered with and invested in a new innovative 6 v 6 football tournament called Baller League.
Dalot: I'd Do Well to Invest in Man Utd
Manchester United right-back Diogo Dalot in action
Dalot has also invested in nutrition products, including teaming up with compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo to back personalised supplement pioneer Bioniq, a customised supplement for athletes.
While on stage, the 26-year-old, who earns a reported £100,000-a-week, was asked if he would ever be interested in buying a football team in the future, and specifically Manchester United, to which he revealed that he wouldn't be against taking a risk in the future, although he'd prefer to find investments outside of football.
Speaking at the Portugal Football Summit, Dalot said:
“It would be a good sign if i did something like that [buying United] during my career. It would mean I am doing very well financially!
“It is hard to know exactly what is going to be the next big thing to invest in. You have to just kind of meet the right people and keep an open mind.
“Partnering with APEX has helped me know more what the best thing is to invest in. it is naive for players to think they know and have access to everything. We have a lot of people around us that want to offer us things, but sometimes they want to take advantage of you because of the fame and access we have. It can be tough to understand who you can trust the most.
“But when I invest, one big thing i have in my mind is that sometimes I will make mistakes. There is no way entering the investment world you will just hit the jackpot. Sometimes you have to take some risks. And I am not afraid to take risks, in and outside of football.
“I think think the first answer every player will say is they want to stick to football [after they stop playing]. It’s what we do every day. But I am trying to see if there is something inside me to push me to do another thing. In football, we know what to do every single day. We know what it takes to be an athlete. But when I retire, I don’t know if I might enjoy another type of business.
"For us players, sometimes it is important to do other things outside of football. We have a lot of games, and pressure, so having an escape away from our job is important. And it’s a way of learning new things rather than just sticking in the ‘bubble’ of football. I like to keep an open mind.”
Dalot's current focus at Man Utd is securing wins under manager Ruben Amorim, with the defender starting in their 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last game in the Premier League.
After joining from FC Porto in 2018 under Jose Mourinho, Dalot has gone on to make 214 appearances for the Red Devils scoring nine goals.