By Victor Kanayo
A Lithuanian club on Monday confirmed that former Belgium international Moussa Dembélé has bought FK Minija Kretinga.
Dembélé played for Celtic, Olympique Lyonnais and Fulham.
Dembélé, who signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq in 2023, made 94 appearances for Celtic between 2016 and 2018, winning two Scottish Premiership titles.
The 28-year-old was also part of Atlético Madrid’s La Liga-winning squad in 2021.
Minija, based in the city of Kretinga and currently sitting in ninth place in the Lithuanian second-tier standings, has been acquired by investment group Triple M Sports Investments Limited — in which Dembélé is a director.
Triple M Sports Investments Limited also owns AS Mansa in Mali.
“They now know more about Kretinga than I do. This is a win not only for Kretinga but for all Lithuanian football. We will now move away from being an amateur club to a professional one,” club CEO Vidas Burba told Reuters.
