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EPL It is hard to escape the influence of Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter at Roc Nation Sports International’s office in central London. It is evident most obviously in the crates of Armand de Brignac Champagne stacked up in the boardroom. The brand, known colloquially as Ace of Spades, is also owned by the sports agency’s rapper-turned-entrepreneur founder. But, more significantly, it drives the very ethos of the firm. Advertisement “Some of our competitors have thousands of players on their books, but what happens is that player ultimately becomes a number, ” says Roc Nation Sports’ president, Michael Yormark. “Most aren’t getting the service, the love and the support they deserve. “Our pitch to players is: ‘If you join us, you’ll be treated like a priority — just like our chairman, Jay Z’. When I first joined the agency, I asked him for advice and he said: ‘Michael, treat every client like their name is Jay Z’. That’s what we strive to do. ” Jay Z started Roc Nation in 2008. Yormark came aboard six years later, having served as president and chief executive of the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers. The walls of the company’s London office are adorned with framed jerseys from players, including Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Arsenal counterpart Gabriel Martinelli. The company represents athletes outside football, too, with their roster from basketball’s NBA including the Charlotte Hornets’ La Melo Ball and Malcolm Brogdon of the New York Knicks. Their football department looks after Vinicius Jr’s Madrid team-mate Endrick, West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta, and Manchester City icon Kevin De Bruyne, now of Napoli. “When I meet a client for the first time, I always ask them what their dream is, ” Yormark tells The Athletic. “Then we do everything we can to make it come true. That is why we’re different from everyone else. It’s not about the transfer for us, or the commission. We have to align with the priority of doing whatever it takes for our clients to win. If they win, so do we. ” Yormark, 58, was previously based at Roc Nation’s New York headquarters but crossed the Atlantic to open its London office in 2019. He was entrusted with shifting their focus from the U. S. market to Europe. A meeting with Jerome Boateng, formerly a defender for Bayern Munich and Germany’s national team, laid the foundations for the move. Advertisement “It was a commercial-only partnership with Jerome, and he reached out to us because he wanted to boost his profile in America, ” says Yormark. “I didn’t know much about football and I didn’t know who he was, but through Jerome, I met Romelu Lukaku, who, at the time, played for Manchester United. I remember sitting in New York with Romelu and he said to me, Jay Z and other board members: ‘Guys, why don’t you take this business and come to Europe? Football needs a Roc Nation that gives footballers the care they deserve’. “We agreed to give it a go. It was Romelu’s push and inspiration that started Roc Nation Sports International. It’s because of him that I’m here today. They thought we were crazy and dismissed us. They were very confident that we wouldn’t be successful and didn’t believe we would still be here. Today, we are one of the top 10 football agencies in the world. We’ve achieved that in five-and-a-half years. ” Lukaku was represented by Roc Nation from 2018 to 2023. Under their guidance, the Belgium national team’s record goalscorer sealed moves to or from Inter, Chelsea and Roma. Chelsea’s purchase of Lukaku for £97. 5million ($132. 9m at the current rate) from Inter in summer 2021 was a proud moment for the company. But it also prompted an unhappy spell for the striker, who fell out of favour in what was his second spell at the west London club. “Romelu will always be part of our family, ” says Yormark. “I will always look at him like a little brother. I remember his experience at Chelsea like it was yesterday. When he was going through those dark moments, I told him to leave it to me. “Fortunately, Todd Boehly came in as one of their owners (in May 2022). Within a couple of days of him taking control at Chelsea, I phoned him and said we had to have a serious conversation about Romelu. Chelsea were dysfunctional at the time, and it really impacted him mentally and physically. Advertisement “Todd said he would like to meet Romelu. We got on a Zoom call because we were all in different locations. We spoke for an hour and a half, and Todd really got to understand the challenges Romelu experienced. Todd said he’d do whatever it took to help him. He allowed Romelu to go back to Inter on loan; I was very thankful to him for being so sensitive about it all. A lot of owners would have gone: ‘No, we spent this money on bringing you here and you’re going to have to suck it up’. But he approached the situation like a father who wanted to help his son. “I’m sure Romelu will always be thankful to us and Todd for helping. Watching him go through those dark moments in that season was very challenging. ” Jay Z also met Lukaku to try to help him rediscover his confidence. The company’s founder feels it is important to build a personal relationship with its clients. He and Yormark did the same for Vinicius Jr when he was racially abused at matches in Spain. “Vinicius using his voice (to speak out against racism) is the most important thing, because it will create an impact, ” says Yormark. “A lot of agencies hold back their athletes from being outspoken because they are concerned about their relationships with clubs, leagues and governing bodies, but we don’t. It’s not about them. It’s about the athlete we represent. “Whether it’s Vinicius, or we saw what happened to Romelu in Italy, if they feel passionate about something and want to be outspoken about it, we will support and encourage them. ” Yormark was impressed with Vinicius Jr’s dedication when they first met in Madrid three years ago, and believes the Brazilian forward has since transitioned into a crossover athlete. The only regret is that he cannot list winning the Ballon d’Or, the award for the footballer voted the sport’s best performer of the previous 12 months, among his achievements as yet. He was among the favourites to win it last year, but Manchester City midfielder Rodri came out on top. With the result in doubt, Vinicius Jr and his Madrid colleagues decided not to travel to the star-studded ceremony in Paris, even though the Spanish giants won the men’s team of the year category and their then manager Carlo Ancelotti was named coach of the year. “Vini’s opportunity to win was last year, without a doubt, ” says Yormark. “He deserved to win, and the Ballon d’Or as an award lost a little bit of credibility. You only have to see what the reaction was like with Vini not winning. There are other favourites for the award this year. He had another good season, but did he have the best season in global football? Probably not. Advertisement “Vinicius was upset about not winning, as anyone in his situation would be. But we made sure he was aware of the outpouring of love from in and outside of football. It was extraordinary and amazing to see everyone unite like that. It lifted his spirits, and he won the FIFA Best men’s player award (a few weeks later) and best player at the Globe Soccer awards (just after Christmas). He ended 2024 on a high regardless. ” Most athletes require a strong work ethic to reach the top. Yormark has a similar mindset. He often starts his days at 4am with a gym workout. He is disciplined and prefers not to linger over past successes, a mindset he puts down to his upbringing and the sacrifices his mother made as a single parent raising three children. “It was a humbling experience, ” he says. “I often say that people usually look at the finished product but don’t understand the journey. People see me suited up — I believe in ‘dress for success’ — but it creates a certain perception. We all go through challenges. I once sent out 365 resumés (looking for a job) and didn’t get a single response. I didn’t feel too good after, and in most cases, people would question whether this was the industry they should enter. But because of who I am, it inspired and motivated me more to prove people wrong. “I only needed one person or company to take a chance on me. Once I was through that door, I knew I’d outwork, outhustle and be more creative in order to climb the corporate ladder. Even as a kid, I shared a room with my twin brother Brett (now commissioner of the Big 12, one of the top leagues in U. S. college sport) and, at night, we’d talk about what we wanted to do in life. I told him when I was 13 that I wanted to be a superagent. I’m not an agent, but I run an agency, so as young as 13 I had this vision. Now I’m living it. “My mom’s been my biggest supporter and I will never forget the tough times we experienced. When I was in high school, she told me and my siblings we couldn’t play sports anymore because she needed help supporting the family. I had jobs delivering newspapers, I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts and (ice-cream shop) Baskin-Robbins; jobs that weren’t glamorous but it was all about helping the family survive. That’s where I got my work ethic from. I remember what it feels like doing something you don’t love, but you had to (work there) to survive. ” Now, ahead of the 2026 World Cup to be hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada next June and July, Yormark sees an opportunity for Roc Nation to spread its wings further. “There are one or two agencies with a monopoly on the market, but it’s time for a company like Roc Nation to break that up, ” he says. “We’re not a superagency. We’re a boutique agency, and we don’t want to sign everyone. We want to have a manageable number of athletes in our portfolio that we service at the highest level… We’re not like a Chevrolet, Ford or Toyota that mass-produces cars. I’d like to think of us as a Maserati or Ferrari, where we’re going to be an elite brand that keeps the family tight and small. Advertisement “Maserati and Ferrari sell a lot fewer cars than Ford, Toyota and Chevrolet, but in many cases they are more successful, and that’s how I look at us. “When people see a luxury car, the majority will say to themselves: ‘I’d love to have that one’. That’s how I want footballers to see us… No matter how big we get, we will never change that. ” (Top photos: Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Roshane Thomas is a staff writer who covers West Ham United for The Athletic. Previously, he worked for the Sunday Times and talk SPORT. Follow Roshane on Twitter @Roshane Sport