Despite the Score, Yesterday Almaty Won

Despite the score, yesterday Almaty won!

Almaty hosted Real Madrid last night and yes, while the result could have been better for us, our local football team, Kairat, proved that we Kazakhs can compete at the highest level. It was a great game, a show of force, and an example of a nation that stands together, in sports and in life. Notwithstsnding, the real story, at least for me, has a name: Kairat Boranvayev.

I have known Kairat long enough to see how he works when nobody is looking.

He is the kind of entrepreneur who is able to build successful teams (and not only football teams). 

shows up early. The kind of leader who shows the same energy on a Tuesday morning that others only find on a final. That is leadership you can trust.

My friend Kairat treats football like he treats business: as an institution you build, fund, and protect. Not a weekend show and not an ad. His iniative has put Almaty before the eyes of the whole world.

Yesterday was an organizational success, a promotion success and yes, also a sports success, despite the end score.

Kairat is also clear about what sport can do for Kazakhstan. It connects. It teaches discipline. It opens doors. It shows young people that effort pays. He invests where it matters: in people, routines, facilities, and the long road.

For my and my family it was a privilege to be by his side yesterday while his team was playing, as the champion it is, in the Champions League. I am proud to be his friend.

And next time, dear Real Madrid, we will be waiting for you!