The Japan Times - British bettor Bloom's football empire blossoming with Belgian club USG

The British investor, bettor and poker player led his boyhood club Brighton to the Premier League after taking over with them languishing in the third tier in 2009.

But USG have been the club to deliver Bloom a top-flight European league title and participation in the Champions League.

Bloom bought the fallen Belgian giants in 2018, quickly transforming their fortunes as they won promotion to the Pro League for the first time since 1973 just three years later.

Despite an agonising near miss in the title race to Royal Antwerp in 2023, success followed with the 2024 Belgian Cup.

Previous impressive campaigns in Europe include reaching the Europa League quarter-finals and Conference League last 16 in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

The wait for a first Belgian league title since 1935 was finally ended last season, after Bloom was forced to sell his majority share to long-time business associate Alex Muzio.

That was due to UEFA's rules regarding multi-club ownership, with both Brighton and USG competing in the 2023/24 Europa League.

"We looked at teams in a league we could realistically win without buying a large team. That made France and Holland difficult," Muzio told the New York Times of the purchase of the club.

"Belgium has a deeper power base of teams than those countries, so, yes, it was always the plan."

After two losses in Champions League qualifying in recent seasons, USG marked their long-awaited debut in Europe's premier competition with an impressive 3-1 win at PSV Eindhoven last week.

Next in their sights are English side Newcastle, smarting from a home defeat in their opener by Barcelona, on Wednesday.

"We have a very tough match ahead of us, against one of our toughest opponents in recent years," said USG coach Sebastien Pocognoli.

"Against Newcastle, the intensity level will be incredible."

- Starlizard's influence -

Bloom's clubs' successes have often been attributed in part to his data analysis firm Starlizard, which alerts subscribers to opportunities in football betting markets where they believe bookmakers have miscalculated odds.

The Starlizard model, the make-up of which has been kept a tight secret, has also been used to help spot young players who could be under-valued.

Brighton have used the analysis to great effect, with several promising players joining the team before being resold for massive profits, notably including Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro and Alexis Mac Allister.

"Without that it would be really tough," Bloom told The Observer of Starlizard earlier this year.

"We've got superb analytics. And our valuation of players across the world in huge amounts of leagues –- that breadth gives us a significant advantage."

Bloom has also more recently invested in Australian team Melbourne Victory and Edinburgh club Hearts, who have surprisingly stormed to the top of the Scottish Premiership table this season.

But he is keen to downplay the importance of his involvement.

"Regarding the four football clubs I have a keen interest in USG, Hearts and Melbourne Victory, but I'm not at all day-to-day involved," he added.

"I spend no real time outside of following their games and watching what they're doing. They've got strong management teams."

Starlizard's name comes from Bloom's time as a poker player when, nicknamed "The Lizard", he amassed more than $3.5 million in prize money.

"Poker gives you a good grounding in lots of things, including reading situations and reading people and making tough decisions," he once told The Times.

"Those skills can be used in business and certainly in running a football club."

Bloom may not be the man in total control, but he is sure to have at least one eye on the Joseph Marien Stadium as USG bid to make it back-to-back Champions League wins.

K.Yamaguchi--JT