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Freshly retired Ireland and Munster star Simon Zebo grew up in the Cork suburb of Blackrock to a Cork mother and Martinique-born father. The fullback/winger is a co-founder of Black Emerald, a whiskey he’s launching in March with Cork hospitality entrepreneur Ernest Cantillon from the Kinsale Spirit Company. They are seeking investors in the project through the Employment Investment Incentive (EII) tax-relief scheme.
Zebo lives in Cork with his Spanish wife Elvira and their four children, Jacob (9), Sofia (8), Noah (4) and Isabella (2). Read more How did your upbringing shape your relationship with money? We used to have a ‘manners competitions’ with my dad, where we’d drive into the city and go to places like the English Market, and whoever of us was the most polite in our interactions with people would get a treat or pocket money. The lessons around money were quite jovial and happy-go-lucky.
I now do these manners competitions with my own kids -- we had one yesterday. Have you ever felt broke? For sure – when the manners competitions finished! Broke is a bit of stretch – though I did have the usual student struggles. My later teenage years were filled with bad choices with money, and walking for miles to get home.
I worked at Debenhams at Mahon Point when I was 17 for about eight months. I folded clothes and helped people with the fitting rooms, and paid my parents a little bit of rent. What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever been to? Courchevel in the French Alps.
I went there with my old French team for a training camp. All the shops were designer, like Moncler and Rolex, and the place was full of high rollers. What’s your biggest extravagance? We holiday quite a lot.
With my wife being Spanish, any chance that we get at mid-term break or over the Christmas, we go to Spain. But it varies between family resorts and being in a family home. We spent a lot of time there this summer and got married there at the end of the summer.
Would you buy Irish property now? The prices are crazy high, so I’d probably stay away from it! Do you still carry cash? Yes, as much as possible. I find myself overspending when it’s just digital. When I have the cash in my pocket, it’s easier to manage.
I love going out for my coffees – and in a lot of those places, the tip jars are empty. If I have a good rapport with a barista, I want to tip. We’re blessed with so many great cafes in Cork and I feel embarrassed if I don’t have cash when I go into one.
What was your best ever investment? Myself, if I was being honest. Just in terms of mentality and perspective and going the extra mile to be better. I would’ve taken a lot of time in my career to work on meditation and visualisation.
But financially, I’d say my house. And Black Emerald. I’ve done crypto and properties before.
I’ve done different things with my money. I’ve been very careful with prior investments. But I wanted to have my full focus going into a project and now is a good time, because I’ve just retired.
I have this energy and enthusiasm now to make it my own, as opposed to having a very busy schedule with rugby and trying to marry it with something on the side. I wouldn’t want to fully attach myself to a project that my heart is only half in. What was your biggest ever financial mistake? My fashion judgement was a bit clouded while I was living in Paris, so I’d say Prada or Louis Vuitton shoes.
They seem lovely when you’re walking down the Champs-Elysées – but they’re terrible on Patrick Street. Read more.
