Allan Saint-Maximin, the 29-year-old Charlotte FC winger, has declined a €26 million offer to sell Helios, the free Greek-mythology card game he created, Maxifoot reported, citing an interview the player gave to The Athletic. The forward said the project is not about money but about building something that creates jobs and opportunities.

The offer — roughly $28 million at current exchange rates — would have made the digital card game an immediate payday for a player whose on-field career has taken him from Saint-Étienne, Monaco, Nice and Lens in France to Newcastle in England and now MLS in the United States. Saint-Maximin turned it down anyway, saying he would rather bring in investors who take equity stakes than sell the game outright.

What Helios Is and How It Plays

Helios is a two-player duel game whose rules draw directly from the classic French card game Président, according to RMC Sport and Le Parisien. Players take turns laying a card of equal or higher value than the one on the table — the 2 is the weakest card, the ace the strongest — and the first to empty their hand wins. To break stalemates, the game adds a die and special cards bearing Greek gods and goddesses: Artemis lets a player pass one of their cards to the opponent, while Hades automatically discards the opponent’s best card.

The game is currently available only as a free digital app, though Saint-Maximin owns a single physical version he uses to play with teammates around a table, RMC Sport reported. On Google Play the app lists more than 1,000 downloads, and it runs weekly and monthly tournaments in which winners can take home physical prizes such as headphones and game consoles. Winners of duels against randomly matched opponents earn coins that can be spent on cosmetic changes to cards, boards and avatars, all themed around Greek mythology.

The game carries the slogan “Fortune favors the bold.” Saint-Maximin told Sports Orange that his love of the mythology began in childhood: “When I was young, I discovered Zeus and Athena and I saw lots of films and cartoons where they appeared.”

A Creation That Grew Out of a 2021 Side Project

Le Parisien dates the creation of Helios to the end of 2021, while Sports Orange describes it as a game launched in 2022 — the outlets differ on the exact start, but agree the project has since become a genuine hit, enough to attract acquisition interest from companies. That interest arrived as a €26 million buyout offer, which Saint-Maximin rejected without hesitation, Le Parisien reported.

In the Athletic interview, he framed the decision as a matter of principle: “It’s not a question of money. It’s about creating something, creating jobs, creating opportunities.” Rather than selling Helios, he said he would prefer to work alongside new partners, each taking a stake in the company in exchange for their investment — a way to grow the game without giving up control.

An Entrepreneurial Streak Beyond the Pitch

The card game is part of a broader off-field portfolio. Saint-Maximin is also the founder of an academy called 100% OVNI, Sports Orange noted, and the Helios project shows the same instinct for building his own ventures rather than relying on outside ones.

For several weeks the game’s Instagram account has posted cryptic messages teasing what it calls a new chapter — “Helios evolves, a new chapter is coming. Are you ready?” — which RMC Sport said has fueled speculation about a possible physical edition of the game. Several updates with new features are also reportedly in the works, according to Le Parisien.

Questions Readers Are Asking About the €26 Million Offer

How much was Allan Saint-Maximin offered for Helios? A company offered €26 million to buy the game outright, he said in his interview with The Athletic, as reported by Maxifoot, RMC Sport, Sports Orange and Le Parisien.

Is Helios free to play? Yes. The game is available only in digital form and is entirely free, with optional coin purchases for cosmetic items and regular tournaments offering physical prizes.

Le Parisien dates its creation to late 2021; Sports Orange describes it as launched in 2022. Both agree it has since become a hit.

Saint-Maximin continues to play for Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer, where he remains one of the league’s most recognizable creative players — on the pitch and, increasingly, off it.