Moneyball guru Billy Beane has bought a minority share in Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar.
Beane, executive vice president of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics, has bought a 5% share in Alkmaar, strengthening his ties with the Dutch club having previously acted in an advisory role.
“I am honored to formalize my role with AZ and take this next step in being part of the future of the club,” Beane said in a statement.
“Working alongside Robert [Eenhoorn, AZ’s general manager] and the rest of the group here over the last five years has been an incredible experience for me and this agreement ensures the relationship will continue for the foreseeable future. I’m proud of all the club has accomplished in recent years and cannot wait to get started working on the future of AZ.”
Beane’s Moneyball philosophy helped his A’s team beat higher-spending rivals in MLB by using detailed sabermetrics to identify undervalued players.
Michael Lewis wrote “Moneyball” in 2003, analysing Beane’s success, and the book was turned into a 2011 film starring Brad Pitt.
Beane has long been interested in football and is part of a consortium that owns Championship side Barnsley.
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