Black Panther and Creed star Michael B. Jordan attended Saturday’s English Premiere League soccer match between AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, his first since becoming a minority shareholder in the ownership group that acquired Bournemouth earlier this month.
Jordan was quickly recognized and hailed by the club’s fans as he arrived for the home game at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, a coastal city about two hours southwest of London.
Check out the welcome:
Earlier this month, Jordan was announced as part of a new AFC Bournemouth ownership group led by Bill Foley, owner of the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights. Foley also attended today’s game, a 2-0 loss for the Cherries that leaves them with a 4-9-4 win-loss-draw record, tied with Leeds at sixth from the bottom of the EPL standings.
When the deal was announced December 15, Bournemouth revealed Jordan and Nullah Sarker as part of the minority ownership group, saying the pair “will work closely with Bill in areas including global marketing and internationalisation of the club.”
Foley reportedly paid about $150 million for the club via his investment company Cannae Holdings Inc.
The gig is Jordan’s first foray into sports ownership but the actor-producer is no stranger to sports. He is currently working on Creed III, the latest installment in the Rocky spinoff franchise in which he directs and reprises his role of boxer Adonis Creed. That United Artists Releasing pic hits theaters March 3.
Jordan, whose credits also include Without Remorse, Just Mercy, the Emmy-nominated Fahrenheit 451 and Fruitvale Station, broke out on NBC’s high school football drama series Friday Night Lights, where he showed off his skills playing East Dillon quarterback Vince Howard for the final two seasons of the show’s run.