He stopped playing soccer because of a serious injury. He immediately turned to the coach after completing the relevant UEFA courses. You haven’t filled it out. He even started out in the staff of (his favorite) Midland’s kindergarten team, but in 2012 Rasmus Ankersen turned in a completely different direction.

For six months he traveled all over the world. He recorded many questions in his first attempt at writing, in which he tried to provide detailed answers to questions such as: How Jamaica produces the fastest sprinters in the world, how the best marathon runners in the world come from the same village in Ethiopia, how a tennis club in Moscow has spawned and brought to market more elite tennis players in the past decade than the entire United States, which is the secret to mass-producing football superstars in Brazil.

The book was published in a free version in Greek under the title The Goldmine Effect: The Result (Effect) of the Goldmine. It was the first example of Ankersen’s general attitude that continued his writing career but found his way into the football business. In 2014 he was appointed CEO. in the Midlands, where he began to bring his philosophy to the football business, influenced – he never hid it – by the logic of the (famous) moneyball, which was first introduced in American professional baseball a few years ago.

He immediately piqued the interest of the (absolutely successful and above all winning) professional player Matthew Benham, who had made a fortune from this activity and bought Brentford in 2012. He relied on the same algorithmic system and statistical models that he used to make all of his betting decisions, which he apparently converted into football terms and made all of his decisions based on, especially when it came to recruiting.

In the face of the state junkie, Ankersen found his alter ego. They have been working with the Dane since 2015 to take on the position of technical director in Brentford, but their collaboration is not all personal. With Midtjylland (where Ankersen remained president) it was also practically expanded to the club level as the first … laboratory of the (common) philosophy and approach and sometimes as the feeder club from Brentford.

Competitive result of the cooperation, absolutely and successful for both sides. The Wolves have since become protagonists on the domestic football scene, winning 3 Danish titles and 1 trophy (the only titles in their history) while Brentford reached the Premier League last year.

Achievements that also served as a stepping stone for Ankersen, who recently announced that he would be leaving the “Bees” at the end of the season and taking on a similar role in Southampton, where he was orchestrator on the recent change of ownership.

1500% profitability

But his legacy in Midtjylland, in which he will initially also work as a consultant at least until the summer, is no longer visible, but overwhelming beyond the competitive and financial, rewarding benefits. The sale of Swedish defensive midfielder Jens Kayouste to Reims was finalized on Monday for a record sum of both the French team’s € 10m spending and recovery from the Danish team, which also included Nigerian midfielder Frank O’Neil’s summer transfer.

Together, from the summer of 2016, when the Ankersen model was sold (then record) of the Danish international striker Pione Sisto to Thelta for 6 million euros and the next one of the Czech national striker Vaclav Candlets to Sparta Prague for 2.7 million euros The 15 (most profitable) sales that it made during this period received 82.5 million euros, excluding the extra charge that the “wolves” received due to rights they were given in the event of a possible resale to the footballers.

An additional feature and highlight of the successful plant construction in Herning? So all of these footballers cost a total (in terms of their purchase) in Midland 6.2 million euros. That is, within five years it made 1500% of that profit and exceeded a significant (sometimes universal) portion of its annual budget from those specific sales alone.

At the same time, however, it can and remains its absolutely competitive level – at least within the limits – (it is also ahead in the Super Ligaen this year) and its participation in the Champions League last year and this year in those of the Europa League, from where he continues as third in the Conference League and meets PAOK in 1.5 months.

The Midland model in numbers and offers

FRANK ONIEKA

• Position: average
• acquisition cost: 0
• Approved team: Brentford
• Collective amount: 10 million euros
• Year: Summer 2021

ΓΕΝΣ ΚΑΓΙΟΥΣΤΕ

• Position: Defensive midfielder
• acquisition cost: 170 thousand euros
• Approved team: Reims
• Collective amount: 10 million euros
• Year: January 2022

ALEXANDER CHERLOT

• Position: for
• acquisition cost: 450 thousand euros
• Approved team: Crystal palace
• Collective amount: 9 million euros
• Year: January 2018

BOOBACAR SANE

• Position: stopper
• acquisition cost: 200 thousand euros
• Approved team: Anderlecht
• Collective amount: 8 million euros
• Year: Summer 2018

DIFFERENT DREGIER

• Position: Extreme
• acquisition cost: One million euros
• Approved team: Rubin Kazan
• Collective amount: 7 million euros
• Year: Summer 2021

POL ONUATSOU

• Position: for
• acquisition cost: 0
• Approved team: Genk
• Collective amount: 6 million euros
• Year: Summer 2019

PIONE SISTO

• Position: Extreme
• acquisition cost: 0
• Approved team: Thelta
• Collective amount: 6 million euros
• Year: Summer 2016

RASMUS CHRISTENSEN

• Position: Be right back
• acquisition cost: 0
• Approved team: Ajax
• Collective amount: 5.5 million euros
• Year: January 2018

DOMINIC DREXLER

• Position: Extreme
• acquisition cost: 2.5 million euros
• Approved team: Toilet water
• Collective amount: 4.5 million euros
• Year: Summer 2018

ANDREAS POULSEN

• Position: Left behind
• acquisition cost: 0
• Approved team: Gladbach
• Collective amount: 4.5 million euros
• Year: Summer 2018

MICHEL DOULOUD

• Position: Aggressive
• acquisition cost: 0
• Approved team: Dynamo Kiev
• Collective amount: 4 million euros
• Year: Summer 2018

WATSLAV CANDLES

• Position: Aggressive
• acquisition cost: EUR 2.1 million
• Approved team: Sparta Prague
• Collective amount: 2.7 million euros
• Year: Summer 2016

MICHAEL ANDERSON

• Position: average
• acquisition cost: 0
• Approved team: αρχους
• Collective amount: 2 million euros
• Year: Summer 2021

PHILIP NOVAK

• Position: Left behind
• acquisition cost: 140 thousand euros
• Approved team: Trabzonspor
• Collective amount: 1.9 million euros
• Year: January 2018

GUSTAW WICHEIM

• Position: Extreme
• acquisition cost: 500 thousand euros
• Approved team: Al Fateh
• Collective amount: 1.35 million euros
• Year: Summer 2019