Elite-level football is a lucrative business, with billions in revenue sloshing around clubs thanks to broadcasting contracts and corporate sponsorship deals.
As well as the money involved, success in football brings with it prestige and it is also a very reliable way to elicit good will from the public at large. So it is no surprise that the game has become an attractive investment prospect for many millionaires and billionaires across the world.
- Read expert analysis of the best UK bookies
Here are the richest football club owners in the world...
(Click on the owner's name to read full profile)
Click here for richest Premier League club owners
table.tableizer-table {font-size: 14px;
border: 1px solid #CCC;
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
}
.tableizer-table td {
padding: 4px;
margin: 3px;
border: 1px solid #CCC;
}
.tableizer-table th {
background-color: #00A9CE;
color: #FFF;
font-weight: bold;
}
| Rank | Owner | Football club (s) | Est. net worth (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public Investment Fund | Newcastle | $430bn |
| 2 | Sheikh Mansour | Manchester City, Melbourne City, New York City | $20bn |
| 3 | Dietrich Mateschitz | Red Bull Salzburg, New York Red Bulls, RB Leipzig | $19.4bn |
| 4 | Andrea Agnelli (and family) | Juventus | $13.5bn |
| 5 | Dietmar Hopp | Hoffenheim | $13bn |
| 6 | Roman Abramovich | Chelsea | $12.4bn |
| 7 | Philip Anschutz | LA Galaxy | $10bn |
| 8 | Stan Kroenke | Arsenal, Colorado Rapids | $8.7bn |
| 9 | Nasser Al-Khelaifi | Paris Saint-Germain | $8bn |
| 10 | Zhang Jindong | Inter | $7.6bn |
Public Investment Fund | Newcastle | $430bn
The sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia purchased an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle in October 2021 to complete a takeover that had been blocked by the Premier League just six months before. The Public Investment Fund has made major investments in companies and projects around the world, including the United States, Russia, India, France and Brazil among others.
The Public Investment Fund is headed by Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, has been appointed Newcastle chairman.
The fund is reported to have assets in excess of $430 billion, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, while RB Sports & Media and PCP Capital Partners both have a 10% stake in Newcastle as part of the takeover.
Bin Salman is estimated to have a personal fortune of around $17.6 billion.
Sheikh Mansour | Man City, Melbourne City, New York City | $20bn
Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also known as Sheikh Mansour, is best known in a football context for his ownership of Premier League club Manchester City, but he also owns a number of other clubs through the City Football Group.
As well as Man City, Major League Soccer side New York City and A-League outfit Melbourne City are among the clubs in the City Football Group owned by Sheikh Mansour. Others include Mumbai City in India, Belgian side Lommel SK and the Uruguayan team Montevideo City Torque.
Dietrich Mateschitz | Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig, NY Red Bulls | $19.4bn
Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz has compiled an extensive portfolio of teams across a variety of sports, most of which have the name of his company emblazoned on them.
In football, his main concerns are Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg and MLS side New York Red Bulls.
Andrea Agnelli & family | Juventus | $13.5bn
The Agnelli family are the owners of Juventus, with Andrea Agnelli being the face of the family's football enterprise, serving as chairman of both the club and of the European Club Association (ECA).
Known as an industrialist family, the Agnelli family's business interests are varied, but they are mostly synonymous with the motor car industry, producing Fiat, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and other such brands.
Getty
Dietmar Hopp | Hoffenheim | $13bn
Bundesliga side Hoffenheim may not be global players, but their owner Dietmar Hopp is an influential businessman in the software and data processing sector having helped to found SAP SE.
Hopp, who is reported to have invested nearly €400 million into Hoffenheim, is heavily criticised by football fans in Germany, but was notably to the fore in the search for a coronavirus vaccine in 2020.
Roman Abramovich | Chelsea | $12.4bn
Russian businessman Roman Abramovich caused quite a stir in 2003 when he injected millions into Premier League club Chelsea to help propel them along the path to success in England and Europe.
He made his money in the oil industry, but has also invested in aluminium concerns among others.
Philip Anschutz | LA Galaxy | $10bn
A founding member of Major League Soccer, Philip Anschutz owns the popular team LA Galaxy, but in the past also owned a number of other franchises in the league, including MetroStars, Chicago Fire and others.
The American billionaire's main business interests are in the real estate, oil, rail and entertainment industries.
Stan Kroenke | Arsenal, Colorado Rapids | $9bn
Premier League club Arsenal are owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, through his Kroenke Sports and Entertainment company.
Kroenke's company also owns MLS side Colorado Rapids, as well as a number of teams in other sports, including the Los Angeles Rams in NFL, Denver Nuggets in the NBA and Colorado Avalanche in NHL.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi | PSG | $8bn
Qatari businessman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is the head of Qatar Sports Investments, which owns and operates French team Paris Saint-Germain.
Al-Khelaifi is also the chairman of the beIN Media group, which broadcasts a variety of sports, and he was the mastermind behind the world record €222 million (£198m/$263m) transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to PSG.
Getty Images
Zhang Jindong | Inter | $7.6bn
Zhang Jindong is a Chinese billionaire who, through his company the Suning Holdings Group, acquired a majority ownership stake in Serie A club Inter in 2016.
The Suning group is a retail business dealing in domestic appliances, but Jindong's other interests extend to the media and broadcasting sector, as well as sport.