There was support from NFL superstar Tom Brady behind Baek Seung-ho (28, Birmingham City) securing promotion.
Birmingham City defeated Peterborough United 2-1 in a postponed match of the 31st round of League One (third division) for the 2024-2025 season, held on the 9th (Korea time) at Western Homes Stadium in Peterborough, England.
Birmingham (29 wins, 8 draws, 3 losses, 95 points) secured 2nd place, ensuring promotion to the Championship next season in the shortest time possible, regardless of the results of the remaining 6 matches. Birmingham is also likely to win early, leading by 14 points over 2nd place Wrexham (81 points).
National team midfielder Baek Seung-ho also played a significant role in the promotion. Baek Seung-ho scored 1 goal and provided 2 assists in 35 league matches, playing a key role. There were speculations that Baek Seung-ho might leave during Birmingham's relegation last season. However, he renewed his contract in loyalty to the club and was rewarded with promotion after just one season.
British public broadcaster BBC attracted attention by mentioning Baek Seung-ho while covering Birmingham's promotion. The media praised him, stating, “Baek Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata added class to the midfield and contributed many goals.”
According to BBC, the reason for Birmingham's early promotion is due to the significant investments made. Last summer, Birmingham invested £25 million (approximately 47.4 billion won) to acquire 17 players despite relegation from League One. It was an extraordinary decision for a third division team. This included the contract with Baek Seung-ho.
Birmingham's ability to attract significant investments was largely due to the role of co-investor Tom Brady. The all-time great NFL player became a co-investor in Birmingham in 2023. Brady is the greatest quarterback in history, boasting 7 Super Bowl victories. He retired as a player in 2022.
Currently, League One teams can spend 60% of their revenue on transfer fees. Equity investments can be entirely used for transfer fees. This means that if the owner of a League One team invests £100 million in the club, they can spend just over £60 million on player acquisitions.
Birmingham's ability to make aggressive investments ultimately led to significant returns. Brady played a major role in attracting investments and contributed greatly to Baek Seung-ho's promotion.
Moving forward, Birmingham aims to challenge for the League One record for the most points in a season. The previous record was set by Reading with 106 points. Birmingham is also eyeing a double with the EFL Cup.
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