A Norwegian man who recently became the biggest lottery winner ever in the country has spent a portion of his prize money on buying a 25 per cent stake in a local football club.
Yngvar Borgesen, who won in excess of 102m Norwegian crowns (£11.5m) when his numbers came up recently, handed over 2.5m crowns to ensure the football club he has supported all his life, Odd Grenland, could hang on to their star player, Fredrik Semb Berge.
The lottery winner said that he thought about things he could do to help his local town, and that he came up with the idea to help Odd Grenland, who have been struggling financially over the past few years. He added that the club well thought of and important to the local community.
Odd Grenland currently sit 14th out of 16 in Norway’s top league, which due to the freezing winter temperatures in the country does not run concurrently with most of Europe’s top leagues. The club said that Borgeson will now receive 25 per cent of any future transfer fee if Semb Berge was sold in return for his investment.
The defender, 23, made his international debut against South Africa in January. He described Borgesen as “a very nice guy” who decided to help his local team. He added that now the club can receive a bigger transfer fee for him, and they will not be forced into selling him.