As Jay-Z himself famously told us, he’s “not a businessman, but a business; man!” And the business empire run by Jay-Z is interconnected to Saturday’s UEFA Champions League Final, and that means Hova will be on hand at Wembley Stadium, when Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund battle for the European Cup.
Jay-Z will be supporting Madrid, due to business connections with Vinicius Jr.
UCL Final FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. June 1, 8pm, Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Team News: Real Madrid Borussia Dortmund
Starting XI Predictions: Real Madrid Borussia Dortmund
90 Min Probability: Real Madrid 59% Extra Time 22% Borussia Dortmund 19%
Shawn Carter, the real legal name of Jay-Z founded Roc Nation Sports in 2013 in conjunction with Creative Artists Agency, a prominent talent agency based in Los Angeles.
???? Jay Z is expected to attend the Champions League final at Wembley to support Vinicius Júnior.
Roc Nation Sports represents Vini Jr among many stars and Jay Z will travel to support Vinicius in UCL final, crucial step also for his Ballon d’Or dream. pic.twitter.com/HjDSKP0XkT
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2024
The first major move Roc Nation Sports made was signing New York Yankees All-Star second baseman Robinson Canó, and they acquired a long list of major clients from there.
Last July, Roc Nation acquired Brazilian soccer agency TFM, and with that, took on all their clients.
Vini is one of those TFM footballers absorbed into Roc Nation.
“You think about [fútbol] and you think about talent, Brazil is probably the first market that you would put on the top of your list as it relates to a wish list for acquisition,” Michael Yormark, president of Roc Nation Sports International, told Forbes at the time.
“If you know anything about TFM, they’ve got some of the best talent in the world.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.