AMERICAN FOOTBALL

For him, the difficulties began immediately on his birth certificate says father unknown, his mother lived from occasional jobs in the hamlet of poor Kleinsemmering, a village of Styria on a couple of hours' drive from Vienna. The only wealth of the family: a pig, fed with the remains found in the streets of the country. Emigration, in 22 years, is an outcome of necessity. And the first job in Canada knows the legend: dishwasher in a public hospital. Then the story takes the right direction: Frank, who has managed to learn from industry experts, rent a garage and start working the metal components for some companies meccaniche. In 1969 his company merges with Magna, already quoted on the Stock Exchange. It is the consecration, becomes a public figure in Canada is that in Austria, where it is considered a kind of King Midas capable of turning into gold everything it touches. Today has 70 thousand employees, a turnover of 18 billion euros and operations in 25 countries. One of two daughters, Belinda, 43 years, is known almost as much as him, has for years assisted in guiding the company in 2005 became a minister and even a few years before had even talked about in Washington for its alleged liaison with Bill Clinton.

For Stronach, a passionate football for many years chairman of the Austrian Bundesliga and Austria Vienna, is a kind of triumphal march. With two painful setbacks. The first was in 1988, when he decided to enter politics and proposes to the Liberal Party of Canada. He is convinced of stravincere and triumphantly entering Parliament in Ottawa. But is sensationally defeated.

The second failure is only a couple of months ago. Just as it prepares to move to all'assalto Opel, Stronach was forced to raise white flag in its second branch of activity, perhaps his true passion: horse breeding. The Magna Entertainment Corporation, in Mec symbol, the largest world group for the selection and the commercial exploitation of thoroughbreds, which also operates racetracks and betting, declaring bankruptcy and brings the books in court. For the Austrian billionaire is not just a pastime: the activities of the group failed were evaluated at around one billion euros, the company came to own more than 1,000 racehorses. To burn the most is, however, the damage to image. Only a few months ago Stronach had refused an offer for the group regarded by analysts as interesting. He had not wanted to surrender because he believed in his project: to make the popular equestrian sport as football or baseball. They did not succeed. Now, after the farewell to the beloved horses, with plans to build the four wheels.