2 Footballers who are managed by the sports agency of American rapper Jay-Z
The sports and entertainment industries run parallel to each other, with both catering to almost the same set of audience. People are always excited at the prospect of a sportsman starring in a movie or a movie star getting himself involved in a particular sport. In many cases, these two industries work mutually for business reasons.
Shawn Corey Carter, also known as Jay-Z, is a popular American rapper and entrepreneur. His work is well known around the world, and he also has an investment in sports management.
Roc Nation Sports is a division under Jay-Z's brand Roc Nation, which has a number of sportsmen on its roster. It also has two popular European footballers as a part of its client base.
Here's a look at those two players:
#1 Romelu Lukaku
As reported by The Sun on 19th April 2018, Romelu Lukaku has agreed to sign a contract with Jay Z and his Roc Nation Sports agency. Moreover, according to ESPN FC, Lukaku's record deal with Puma was a result of this association - since Jay-Z is fond of the brand.
Lukaku is one of the best strikers going around in world football, and impressed many with his heroics in the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Belgium. He is one of the top scorers in the Belgium national team; the Golden Generation of Belgium Football would be incomplete without him.
Lukaku has spent most of his club career in England. He started his Premier League journey with West Brom before completing a big move to Chelsea. While there he spent his major time on loan at Everton, and eventually made a permanent move to the Toffees.
On 6th July 2017 Lukaku completed a $75 million move to Manchester United, thereby becoming the costliest striker in the Premier League.
#2 Jerome Boateng
As reported by Daily Mail on 28th July 2015, Jerome Boateng was the first footballer to sign for Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports.
Germany's Boateng has been a part of his nation's defensive setup for a long time. He won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, but had a disappointing 2018 edition and could soon make way for other youngsters into the squad.
Apart from a season-long loan at Manchester City, Boateng has spent the majority of his club career in Germany with Bayern Munich. He has won almost every trophy with the German giants during the course of his career.
Boateng was subject to transfer speculation linking him to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United at the start of this season. While none of that materialized, a move in January could be a possibility.
However, any future moves of Boateng will depend very much on his association with Jay-Z.