Translated material
I work for Real Madrid
34-year-old Albina Bunescu grew up in Kazakhstan, became a marketer and realized that she wanted to develop in the field of sports marketing. For the sake of studying in Madrid, she sold her apartment in Astana. The risk turned out to be justified: Albina was among the best students and got a job in one of the most titled clubs in the world. However, Albina does not want to completely devote herself to a large corporation: she is confident that the skills and knowledge acquired will be in demand in Kazakhstan. What is the main problem of post-Soviet sports and what does Cristiano Ronaldo have to do with it - in the material of “Cold” .
Now I know what post-Soviet sport needs, and I want to change it. For this reason I sold my apartment in Kazakhstan
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I come from Pavlodar: a simple family, childhood the same as all children of the 1990s. When I was in high school, I thought I would be a financier. But in the end, she changed her vector thanks to the university. My mother invested in my education: I studied at KIMEP (Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Forecasting - it is located in Almaty, all classes are conducted in English). It wasn't easy for her, but it was a turning point in my life.
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I enrolled in business administration and studied various disciplines, including marketing. From the very first couple I realized that I was incredibly interested in this direction. I graduated from KIMEP in 2012 and have been involved in marketing all this time. For the first five years I worked for hire, but for the last eight I worked for myself. I started as a media planner, and after moving to Astana I worked at the Tulpar furniture center. Now I have a marketing agency whose main service is developing a strategy for a business, and I have not limited myself to a specific niche.
"I wasn't taken seriously"
I started thinking about the direction of sports marketing in 2016. I decided to make my first sports event: combine a fair and a city marathon, holding a sports festival in Astana. Marathons were held before this, but I wanted to offer people more. But when I knocked on the doors of marathon organizers in 2016, they didn’t take me seriously. Then I decided to organize the event myself.
It cost Albina 50 thousand euros to study and live in Madrid
So in 2016 I held the Sport Fest Astana exhibition in the capital. It was attended by 50 companies from different fields offering sports equipment, food, accessories, clothing and medical services. In 2018, I organized Sport Fest Astana for the second time, this time in conjunction with the city sporting event - the BI Marathon marathon. We managed to attract the maximum number of participants - 7,000 people that year. As a marketer, I launched an advertising campaign for the marathon and was responsible for holding a sports fair.
It looked promising. I felt the demand, but at the same time there was a shortage of marketers specializing in sports in Kazakhstan. Then for the first time I thought that this was a direction in which I could develop. At the same time, I understood that I didn’t have enough knowledge to go completely into sports, so I thought about continuing my education in this area.
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Last year the puzzle came together, I sold my apartment in Astana and invested this money in education, enrolling in sports marketing at Real Madrid Universidad Europea. I had several options, but I chose this particular university, because they give a state diploma from the European University , and the educational process is based on a partnership between the university and the club.
Ronaldo is the best marketer
I applied and went through all the admissions stages, including several interviews where I presented my past projects in sports and generally demonstrated professional experience in marketing. Also, upon admission, you had to choose an option - online or offline. I chose the second one because I always wanted to live outside of Kazakhstan for some time and explore opportunities beyond its borders.
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In addition, I am a fan of the old Real Madrid squad, especially Cristiano Ronaldo - I have been following them since 2008. I consider Cristiano not only a talented player, but also the best marketer in the world. In my opinion, he has masterfully built a global personal brand: from visual style and public image to his own line of products and contracts with top brands. He understands how attention, engagement and capitalization of reputation work and manages it at the corporate level. His brand lives even off the football field, and this is where his marketing genius shines.
The master's program in sports marketing cost me 22 thousand euros, in addition I also had to pay for accommodation in Madrid for a year. I set a total budget of 50 thousand euros - that’s exactly what a good two-room apartment in Astana in a new residential complex cost. Tuition prices vary depending on the program, training format (online/offline) and the specific year of admission. I don't have a scholarship from the university.
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Currently, during my studies, I live in Madrid. Here sport is very actively and organically integrated into people’s lifestyles. For this, the city authorities have created all the necessary infrastructure: bike paths, jogging lanes in parks, hiking near the city, sports centers for every taste and type of sport, and a huge number of sporting events and competitions, which also helps attract tourists.
Studying at Real Madrid
I initially understood that the entire sports industry is more male-dominated, but I see that today women’s sports are successfully developing - this is a huge promising niche. By the way, Real Madrid Universidad Europea has been operating for almost 20 years, and this year for the first time there are more girls than boys in the sports marketing group, and in total there are 40 of us in the group. I think this is no coincidence, because there is a demand, there is a trend, and women’s sports will develop even more powerfully, on a larger scale, more, and for this, of course, we need specialists. This is why, it seems to me, the number of girls who entered sports marketing has increased.
I was among the best students
Students from completely different countries study here: USA, Switzerland, Italy, France, Greece, Morocco, UAE, Brazil, Mexico, China, UK, Latvia, Ecuador, Taiwan, and I am from Kazakhstan. Our program trains those who are involved in marketing or have previously tried themselves in the sports industry.
When school began, we were told that the four students with the best grades and project results would be given the opportunity to work at the Real Madrid football club. To be honest, I didn’t set my goal to be among the best, I just enjoyed my studies. Our program is diverse and covers not only football, but also other sports. For example, we have done projects for brands: Puma, BMW, the Davis Cup tennis tournament and the Madrid Marathon.
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By the end of the school year, several of the best students were announced who had the opportunity to start their careers within the club, and one of them was me. I was overwhelmed with a storm of emotions: pride, anticipation, and excitement. I am very happy and grateful for this opportunity. But at the same time, we do not choose the department: the university and the management of the Real Madrid club themselves distribute students based on resumes and availability of places. We knew that this would be a marketing department, but Real Madrid has a lot of directions internally. I was lucky that I got into the Marketing Department of Real Madrid Stadium, because my initial request in the master's program was precisely about sports facilities.
I have a short-term contract at Real Madrid. After that, they can take me to the club if there is a vacancy. And now I am working on the tasks of Bernabéu Stadium - the Santiago Bernabeu stadium is the home arena of this football club. I can say that after renovation the stadium can provide visitors with much more than just matches. The whole team is working on what products and services we can still offer, what kind of life the stadium will have outside of match days.
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The stadium is a whole ecosystem: there is a museum, shops, and restaurants. Outside of matches, many different corporate events are held: exhibitions and concerts. I am glad to be part of the team at this very moment, when perestroika, one might say, is underway. Studying all the stages from the inside, seeing how everything is built is very valuable. However, I cannot talk in more detail about internal processes: we sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement, non-disclosure agreement. - Note by Kholod ).
The main problem of post-Soviet sports
If we talk about the specifics of working with a global football brand, the main thing, of course, is the resources - they are huge. Having them, a company can carry out many cool projects at the same time, and I'm not just talking about the budget, but also about employees, partners, sponsors and, finally, globality. But at the same time, when a brand is so big and influential, it takes more time to make decisions. Projects are implemented taking into account the weighing of all risks: how suitable they are for the brand, how consistent they are with the values, and how necessary they are. And, of course, more people are involved in the decision-making process.
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To be honest, I don’t see myself in the classic corporate world, and working at Real Madrid is rather an exception to the rule. When offered to work with such a name, it is difficult to refuse. But my main goal is to develop my marketing agency. Now we are just at the stage of transformation: we are moving from general marketing to sports marketing.
Many ambitious sports projects are being implemented in Kazakhstan. But at the same time, these facilities are mostly either empty or do not earn money on their own - there is still a shortage of specialized specialists and a systematic approach. Sports marketing is just beginning to emerge as a profession and a strategic tool, while in developed countries it has long been built into the business model of sports clubs and leagues. But now I see from the inside how stadiums work: what business models are most effective, how they can make money and how to make sports facilities self-sufficient.
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I believe that the key problem in the post-Soviet space is the lack of sustainable business logic in sports management. Venues are built but are not integrated into the sports ecosystem, do not operate as commercial assets and are often not focused on a long-term model of self-sufficiency and audience engagement. Without changing the approach from “build” to “develop and monetize”, it is difficult to expect sustainable growth of the industry.
In the future I plan to return to Kazakhstan. We clearly do not have enough specialists in sports marketing. I think I can be useful and contribute to the development of this area in our country. And then we'll see. I have plans to move on and reach a broader, international level.
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Photo: courtesy of Albina Author: Lesya Lapina