I have had the opportunity to listen to and observe with keen interest the ongoing debate on the conduct or otherwise of Acraf Hakimi over the divorce proceedings brought against him by his estranged wife seeking to amongst others make a fortune out of the whole episode. The contention is however not the propriety or otherwise of the proceedings but the consequential effect of the outcome. Wealth is a gift from the Almighty. You are blessed with special skills that will lead to wealth creation and when you amass it the instinct of protection sets in as no one wants to revert to the initial status quo ante bellum. People devise all means to keep their wealth safe. Sportsmen are often the victims of relationship, friendships or marriage scams. This is not without prejudice to non sportsmen who have been treated shabbily by their spouses. A friend of mine( name withheld) left the shores of Nigeria to the US to explore business opportunities. He successfully landed in the states and as a first step to realizing their collective dreams , he ‘ married’ a US citizen with the intent of securing the residency permit . He paid off the ‘ wife’ and brought his real wife and children into the US from Nigeria . Since he was still married to the contractual wife he in collaboration with his Nigerian wife decided to buy a house in her name to avoid scandal from the contractual wife, his businesses were also registered in the name of his real wife. Few years into her entry and being relatively stable in the US, she sent her husband packing. He had to sleep under the bridge and was subsequently hopping from one friend to the other for survival. He was finally aided by his friends to stand on his feet. To cut a long story short he is back to Naija now and doing very well. His real wife not only attempted to cripple him she almost killed his dreams . To the sportsmen a lot of examples abound. Emmanuel Eboue the Ivorian former football international is a case study in the trust of women. Michael Jordan the basketball superstar suffered almost similar fate but for his doggedness and resilience his assets will have long gone , however his first trial led him to develop a thick skin and become wiser by signing a pre nuptial agreement with his second wife. Janet Jackson the sister to musical icon late Michael Jackson married a Qatari Prince who insisted on an agreed time frame the marriage will last which was pegged at five years before she could be entitled to any alimony.
Just recently out of the woods, a lady approached and got acquainted with Brazilian star footballer Neymar Jnr ,one thing led to the other and they had sex, he narrowly escaped a rape charged slammed on him by the lady. Ace Ghanaian international Nee Odartey Lamptey suffered in the hands of his ex wife whom he married for 30 years. All this while he was living in a fools paradise until DNA tests proved that all the four children she allegedly bore for him were not his. He lost all his investments in the cheating wife and children. He had to start afresh.
Perhaps Ronaldo having an inkling of these unpalatable scenarios decided against marriage. His decision to embark on contractual relationships with the sole aim of child bearing was his saving grace. He will have possibly been engaged in this new styled marriage scandals of halving your estate to your spouse.
I remember what happened to our own dear Celestine Babayaro sometimes ago, a friend of his came to his apartment in London to chill while there he invited his girlfriend who decided to come along with her friend. On arrival they rang the doorbell and Celestine was upstairs with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, the doorbell was routed upstairs only. Celestine had no option but to come down and open the door for his friend’s guest, boom ! the ladies saw that it was Celestine Babayaro, a football international and a diabolical plan was instantly hatched to scam him, using attempted rape as an excuse. The rest is now history.
With these multitude of experiences as adduced and being one in the football industry, Hakimi should be wiser. More so his estate was handed over to his mother in 2019 while his marriage to his estranged wife was in 2020. This presupposes that HAKIMI at the time of the handover of his estate to his mother was a teenager if his quoted age of 24 is anything to go by.
Secondly, Hakimi as a Muslim knows the Islamic injunction of marriage and divorce( Talak). Marriage is expected to be till death do you part. The Quran has specifically outlined what a woman is entitled to after divorce and who owns what share of the estate after his demise.
The marriage was contracted under the Spanish Marriage laws and customs in court with his wife , the deal for marriage, divorce and inheritance under such circumstances is therefore different from that of Islamic jurisprudence. He is familiar with the theatrics of labeling him a cheat, rapist and a morally bankrupt husband, securing an indictment and filing for divorce as an ingenious tactic which awoken his own protective instincts . Protecting his estate against such intended consequences is his only option . He doesn’t want to wake up one day and find out that all his football career is ruined by alimony. A footballer has age as a barrier. He can only last for an additional 10 years, barring any injury. If she is comfortable as is being espoused, why then is she requesting for alimony? She is presumptuously in it to rake in. Hakimi whether by default or design came up with this action ,acted with wisdom and he remains a hero.