Martin Braithwaite left Espanyol in the summer. (Image: Getty)
A former and star has responded to leaving his last team in bitter circumstances by trying to take them over. Danish veteran Martin Braithwaite is reportedly lining up a bid to buy Espanyol, just months after opting to leave the club despite their promotion to .
Braithwaite scored 22 goals in the Segunda Division last season, as Espanyol returned to the top-flight at the first attempt.
The striker had tried to leave the previous summer following relegation, arguing playing second tier football would him a place in the national squad for .
Promotion didn’t seemingly heal the relationship between club and player, with Braithwaite triggering a clause that allowed him to terminate his contract. Speaking at the time, the 33-year-old said: “Now we have to see what happens in the future.
“I don’t know anything, I’ll talk about it in the next few days. A year ago the club offered me a renewal, but it was disrespectful. Let’s see if they want me to stay here because the offer I received a year ago shows that they don’t trust me.”
He duly moved to Brazilian side Gremio, where he currently has eight goals in 20 games. But Braithwaite, who owns a restaurant, real estate business, and clothing line, has already ensured that life after football looks secure.
The Danish international joined Middlesbrough in 2017. (Image: Getty)
Over the years he has reportedly joined his brother in investing more than £600,000 into NYCE Companies in the United States, with the stake now said to be worth around d £180million. And according to , he now wants to become Espanyol’s largest shareholder.
As well as his homeland, Spain, and Brazil, Braithwaite has also plied his club trade in France and England. Those in the north-east will remember his temperamental spell at Middlesbrough, who he joined in 2017.
Over two years in the , he managed just 36 league games, amid two loan spells elsewhere. And then in 2019 he earned a shock moved from Leganes and Barcelona, spending three years at the Non Camp and contributing to their 2020/21 Copa del Rey win.
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But his stint in Catalonia also ended badly. The forward claimed he was the subject of harsh treatment, and took aim at then coach Xavi. “Did I take it as bullying?” he said. “I actually don’t know. But I think it’s important that you always think about other people’s mental health.
I was top scorer last season before I got injured. But then there was a change of coach, he wanted something else, and that is part of football life. Xavi didn’t believe in my abilities, so I had to leave. I had known for a long time that the coach did not believe in me and that I had to move on from Barcelona.”