Four years ago, friends Emmanuel Ntow, Ward Strüwer and Mitchell Spel started their company Amslux from scratch. The three young Amsterdammers now fly all over the world to provide professional football players with the most expensive watches, most exclusive sneakers and all other luxuries.
Ryan Gravenberch, Brian Brobbey, Cody Gakpo and Jurriën Timber: it’s just a small selection of the customer base of the three twenty-somethings. And international top footballers such as Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus) and Weston McKennie (Leeds United) also knock on the door of the team from Amsterdam if they need anything.
“In the beginning it is a lot of approaching yourself. Now we are being approached”
“How it started? We approached a lot of players via Instagram ourselves,” Ward goes back to the start of their company. “Out of the thousand you approach, one hits the mark and then responds. It continues like this. So in the beginning it is a lot of approaching yourself and now we are being approached.” The Amsterdammers have now done business with about 150 football players.
And it’s not just stuff. The boys also arrange entire vacations and even a wedding once. “It’s like this with holidays: if you just arrange that very well, then it goes fast,” says Emmanuel. “Then they are all together in Ibiza and they say: those guys have arranged this holiday for me or a yacht. Then they send a number. Then you go from twenty players to fifty, to a hundred, and so on .”
“We also ensure that it remains within certain limits and that you do not invest your money stupidly as a footballer”
AT5 drives with the three to the east of the country where they go to pick up an exclusive watch for one of their clients. “You just can’t get any better than this,” says Emmanuel, looking at the watch. The watch appears to have been made only a week earlier. “Nice clock, hot off the press,” says Mitchell with a laugh.
But that expensive stuff also has a downside. Just think of Amsterdam the robbery of Dusan Tadic and the one on former PSV player Eran Zahavi. For that reason, the boys do not say for whom they bought a watch today. They also have to deal with criticism that it is all very much about money and appearance.
“We are not necessarily very materialistic ourselves and we actually come from nothing. So we remain humble”
“We make sure they requests fulfilled, but of course that doesn’t mean we’re not there for them to say: is it wise to do this now or buy,” explains Mitchell. “We also make sure that it stays within certain limits and that you don’t stupidly invest your money as a footballer. That is why we like to be there at a younger age, so that we can guide and guide them in this.”
The three are now regular customers in skyboxes throughout Europe and meet the biggest stars. Walking next to your shoes is lurking. “We are not necessarily very materialistic ourselves and we actually come from nothing,” says Ward. “We all think it’s nice and beautiful, but we’re realistic. When our time comes, we can get those things ourselves, but we’re not going to rush anything. Just humble stay.” Mitchell adds: “Yes, stay humblethis is important.”
? Don’t want to miss anything from Amsterdam?
Found a typo? Let us know at [email protected]