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The American actor and director might buy Derby County, a prestigious Championship club (2nd English division) trained by the former Manchester United star.
George Clooney in 2016 during the filming of “Money Monster”, the film which he shared with Jack O’Donnel, the man who made him discover and love Derby County.
AFP
Derby County is having one of the toughest seasons in its history. Stuck in last place in the Championship standings since the start of the year, the team coached by Wayne Rooney, the former Manchester United and Three Lions star, is in serious danger of falling into Division 1 in a few weeks. Not because the performance of the Rams on the ground is very disappointing but mainly because of a catastrophic financial situation. So much so that the club has already been penalized 21 points since last August. Without this sanction, Derby would already be certain of keeping its place in an English second division in which it has been playing since 2008 and a last inglorious relegation from the Premier League with the worst total points (11) in history. .
Despite the eight units behind Derby still counts on Reading, the first non-relegation player, Rams supporters still want to believe in a double small miracle. First to a sporting maintenance snatched in extremis – they only have seven matches left to achieve it – then, above all, the arrival of a benefactor capable of restoring order to the club’s finances.
A passion born in 2016
A hero who might be called George Clooney. Interviewed by the British daily The Sun, last weekend, the American actor and director, who lives in Berkshire with his wife, Amal, told how he became a Rams fan. “It was Jack O’Donnel who introduced me to the Rams a few years ago when we shot a movie together (Money Monster). I started asking him questions and he was unstoppable. I listened to the history of the club which was quite intriguing. All of this sparked my imagination. I then watched a few matches on TV and gradually began to understand football better and to follow the results of Derby County. I haven’t stopped following the club since then.”
“Owning a club is probably the closest thing to playing. And who knows, maybe one day soon…”
An interest that is turning into a real passion. “Derby is a club that has a fantastic history and which I am sure also has a great future ahead of it,” continues George Clooney. I know he’s had some serious problems lately, but nothing that can’t be fixed. Considering the situation they find themselves in, the team had a remarkable attitude and they also played well. For their part, the supporters have also fully fulfilled their role, like the players on the field.
Two titles in the 70s
Words that warmed the hearts of all those who remain attached to a club that marked the history of English football in the 1970s, winning the league title twice (1972 and 1975) and even achieving the semi-finals of the Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1973.
But what really made them hopeful were the following comments that George Clooney made in the The Sun. “My interest in football has increased a lot in recent years,” he admits. Some time ago I was even asked to be part of a group of investors who were looking to take over Malaga. The idea was very interesting, but in the end it did not materialize. Owning a club is probably the closest thing to playing. And who knows, maybe one day soon…”
