If you don’t believe in the algorithms, you have to go
“It’s about time again” – Leverkusen want to storm into the semi-finals
Bayer Leverkusen is the only German team still represented in international business. The Werkself want to make it through to the semi-finals of the Europa League against the surprise team St. Gilloise. Xabi Alonso is optimistic ahead of the second leg.
Union Saint-Gilloise eliminated Union Berlin in the Europa League. And plays against Leverkusen for the semifinals. But where do the Belgians come from? Behind the project is a poker millionaire with a passion for mathematical formulas.
When Tony Bloom played big bucks at the final table, odds rattled around in his head. The Brit studied mathematics and always kept a cool head when gambling. A friend is said to have given him the nickname “Lizard” because alligator blood flows in his veins.
Building on this, Bloom once founded the data company “Starlizard” and with this he is currently revolutionizing international football to a certain extent. His hometown club Brighton & Hove Albion, of which he took over 75 percent in 2009, is ahead of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool FC in the English Premier League and has a chance of making the Champions League. Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, which he bought from German millionaire Jürgen Baatzsch in 2018, is second in Belgium and will play against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday (9 p.m. / RTL) to qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League. In the round of 16, the Brussels suburban club knocked out 1. FC Union Berlin, third in the Bundesliga. And many in Germany and Europe asked themselves: where do they come from so suddenly?
It’s not all a coincidence. “I don’t want to tell any trade secrets about it. But our example shows that it doesn’t take huge sums for top transfers, mathematical formulas also help,” said today’s honorary president Baatzsch to the “Münchner Merkur”. And you get that from “Starlizard”, which originally feeds its databases for bets. The company advertises with the slogan that it makes “the best sports predictions in the world”.
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise also eliminated Bundesliga club Union Berlin in the Europa League
Quelle: dpa/Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Bloom says nothing about how this works. He is a gray eminence. “As a sixfold billionaire, he is in his own world, very inaccessible,” said Baatzsch. The club points out that Bloom “is not involved in day-to-day business. He is the majority shareholder without voting rights. Our president is Alex Muzio.” But he is Bloom’s business partner at “Starlizard” and is also very secretive. However, the New York Times, with whom he once spoke, reported that the coach at the time, Marc Grosjean, had to leave immediately after the investors got on board because he did not believe in the algorithms.
Like a Hollywood movie
What Bloom and Co. do reminds many in the scene of the Hollywood film “Moneyball” with Brad Pitt or the story behind it from professional baseball in the USA. Players are first scouted by data alone. And that’s how you get professionals who are a perfect fit, but have fallen through the cracks elsewhere and are therefore cheaper. Others do, but none as effectively as Brighton and Saint-Gilles.
Pascal Groß, who moved from Bundesliga relegated FC Ingolstadt to Brighton in 2017 at the age of 26 and hit the ground running, said he was surprised at how many statistics were known about him. Some say the club knows more about you than you do. Deniz Undav, who Saint-Gilles signed from third division side SV Meppen in 2020, felt the same way. After being told what you see in him, “I really wanted to be part of the project”. Undav propelled the club to promotion, then finished top scorer in Belgium with 25 goals – and moved to Brighton.
The most recent example is Nigerian Victor Boniface. Brought from Norway by FK Bodø/Glimt after recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture and a modest goal quota, he is the top scorer in the Europa League. If the data is correct, they believe in the players, no matter where they come from. The captain comes from Malta, and players from Luxembourg and Madagascar are also in the squad. And it fits. Because the data only give the impetus. The other day the system struck at Henok Teklab. He is 24 and plays for the regional league team Preußen Münster. The club is said to have watched him around 30 times, the change is considered almost perfect.
The question remains: Why did Bloom grab Saint-Gilles of all people? The club has a great tradition, was champion eleven times until 1935, but had meanwhile fallen to the fourth division. When Baatzsch came in 2015, he was “terrified” because “everything was messed up”. He provided start-up assistance and handed the club over to the second division. And Bloom has the fantasy of being able to win titles. He thinks that is impossible with Brighton.