Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently likened his year-long negotiations with the Glazer family to buy Manchester United to fishing for salmon. Salmon fishing (he always puts his catches back in the river) is one of the billionaire's many passions, and Ratcliffe, who owns 400,000 acres in Iceland, set up the Six Rivers foundation to reverse the declining population of Atlantic salmon.
He also take as a keen interest in sailing, Formula One, and endurance sports such as marathons and Ironman triathlon. Ratcliffe's lifetime mission, however, was to own United, the club he grew up supporting as a boy in north Manchester. That opportunity finally arose in November 2022 when the Glazers held their strategic review.
Thirteen months later, the petrochemicals tycoon saw off competition from Qatari Sheikh Jassim to land a 27 percent stake in the club which he has called "a colossal enterprise" with "probably the biggest fanbase of any sports team in the world". The transaction, he told The Sunday Times, was like reeling in a huge salmon as it required "enormous patience - it was on the line for a long time."
Ratcliffe has developed a reputation for being utterly ruthless and acting swiftly, as he showed with his removal of chief executive Richard Arnold and sporting director John Murtough, and with the 250 club employees he is set to make redundant. But his passion for salmon fishing and his love for the great outdoors demonstrates another aspect of his character, one willing to show a little patience.
And now Ratcliffe needs to show a little patience with Erik ten Hag, the man who he came so close to firing last May before giving him a reluctant vote of confidence. The Dutchman has not made the most convincing of starts to the new season and there have already been calls for Ratcliffe to pull the trigger. But as Ten Hag prepares to face United's biggest rivals, Liverpool, on Sunday, he needs to feel the confidence of his boss.