The Real Madrid goalkeeper co-founded NXTPLAY alongside business partner Gonzalo Vila, and the agreement with Extremadura was finalised after close to a year of negotiations. President Daniel Tafur retains his position as majority shareholder and will continue leading the club's day-to-day operations, while Vila joins the board of directors as vice-president representing NXTPLAY's interests.
Tafur described the deal as a natural extension of a project built carefully over four years of consecutive promotions — a record in Spanish football.
"Bringing Courtois means bringing a partner who opens many doors for us, both in sporting and contact terms. NXTPLAY brings a pan-European scouting network, analysis and talent development capacity, opening avenues for collaboration in player detection, technical knowledge exchange and multi-club planning."
Courtois framed the investment in terms of backing credible long-term projects rather than chasing profile.
"At NXTPLAY we invest where we see authentic projects, people who know what they are doing and real potential to build something big. CD Extremadura ticks all three boxes. It is a club with history in Spanish football, an extraordinary fanbase and a board that has demonstrated year after year how to build a serious project. We arrive as partners to add to what is already working."
The investment marks NXTPLAY's second football ownership project. The platform also holds a stake in French club Le Mans FC, which secured promotion to Ligue 1 this season — meaning both clubs within the NXTPLAY network achieved promotion during the same campaign.
Extremadura, based in Almendralejo, had endured years of financial instability before Tafur rebuilt the club from its foundations. The partnership with NXTPLAY is designed to sustain further progress toward professional football, with both parties already working on planning for next season's campaign in the Primera Federación.