Braithwaite’s ‘dolce vita’, the Robin Hood of black people

BarcelonaMartin Braithwaite is living at Espanyol one of the sweetest moments of his life. All kinds of problems have been left behind: from Legg-Calvé-Perthes syndrome, a disorder that forced him to spend two years in a wheelchair as a child, to covid-19, through the injury to his left knee that deprived him of succeeding in a Camp Nou that he watched with longing from the hospital room where he was operated on. A break that cut short his career as a Barcelona player. “It was obvious that after the injury I wouldn’t play, I didn’t need anyone to tell me. But I’m a positive person who thinks that everything happens for a reason and now I’m very happy at Espanyol”, he confessed a few weeks ago in an interview with The Sportsman’s Club.

Braithwaite, in fact, was close to not playing this season, as Barça threatened to leave him without a number if he did not agree to terminate his contract, until June 2024, paying him only a small part of the two signed years he had left. The Dane was finally able to resume his career a few kilometers from Camp Nou. One of the most effusive celebrations that his family has experienced lately, in fact, does not correspond to any of his goals, not even to the invitation to his second World Cup, the one in Qatar. It was the day Braithwaite told his wife and five children that they would continue to live in Barcelona, ​​the city where they want to be rooted for life after a career full of travel: from Esbjerg (Denmark) to Leganés , passing through Toulouse, Middlesbrough and Bordeaux.

The striker was welcomed with open arms in a dressing room, that of Espanyol, where he has quickly infected the rest of his teammates with his dancing, his cheerful disposition and his professionalism. He is one of the first to arrive at training and the last to leave. At home, he also has a small gym where he continues to prepare physically. His state of mind is being transformed into goals: he has already accumulated 5 in 15 League games as white-and-blue, the same ones he scored in the 44 duels he played as a Blaugrana in Primera. These goals have given six points to an Espanyol who will need their sense of smell after learning that Joselu will be out for a few weeks due to a muscle injury. If he keeps up his goalscoring pace, he could equal or even better his best goalscoring records: 11 goals scored for Toulouse in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Marked by its origins

Braithwaite’s figure transcends his football side. His origins have shaped his temperament and personality. From the start, he has always tried to distance himself from the character that his father had with him. “He was very hard on me and he really questioned whether he loved me”, recalled the footballer, who suffered extreme pressure from his parent after the matches he played. A demand too high for any child. The Danish forward wanted to have a closer and healthier relationship with their children, with whom it is not difficult for them to dress up or accompany them to parks to live with nature.

His family has also marked him, in this case positively, from the point of view of multiculturalism. Despite being Danish, the origins of one of his great-grandfathers, Chan, can be traced back to China. Braithwaite actually paid tribute to him to coincide with Chinese New Year, when he sported a shirt with his name on it before a game where he scored the winning goal against Betis. His mother, a former Danish handball player, met his father, born in French Guiana (on the north coast of South America), in the United States, where he wasat par.

Knowing firsthand racial inequalities led him to admire Muhammad Ali and Luther King, two figures who inspired him to found, together with his uncle, Philip Michael, a real estate company with a social background that has been called “the Robin Hood of real state”: NYCE, based in New York, promotes the construction of homes and buildings across the United States. “The overall vision we have is to help inspire and create 100,000 millionaires of color. Racism exists, historically the economic hierarchy has not been inhabited by people of color,” Michael admitted.

Aunt and nephew aspire to combat the racial inequalities of that country by offering real estate shares at low prices that predict a future revaluation. The company, which offers real estate shares starting at $100 (93.2 euros), aims to manage assets worth $1 billion (932 million euros). A low entry price to encourage the entry of low-income families, especially black women and students. They currently already control a heritage of more than 300 million dollars (279.8 million euros). The company is looking to invest in multi-family and youth real estate, such as a smart housing project for students at Temple University (Philadelphia) or the construction of a high-rise in Jersey aimed at youth at risk of social exclusion. Braithwaite wants to keep scoring goals in Barcelona, ​​now with Espanyol, but has already decided which game he will play once he hangs up his boots.