Ranking the richest owners in world football

With news of Manchester United’s sale expected any day now, there will be a new multi-billionaire owner in the Premier League. Of course, the football world has no shortage of uber-rich owners, let’s take a look at some of the richest owners in the game, according to Forbes's net worth estimations. 

Alongside Alisher Usmanov, Moshiri was more interested in buying Arsenal than Everton, but when that didn’t transpire, their sights turned to the Merseyside club. Despite some issues with Usmanov’s sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine, Moshiri remains in charge. Currently, in a desperate scrap for Premier League survival, this might not be that popular amongst Everton fans, as reported by The Guardian.

Founder of software firm SAP SE, Hopp was a youth player at Hoffenheim long before he owned the club. After backing their rise through the lower leagues, Hoffenheim have been entrenched as a Bundesliga club since 2008.

Guangchang made his money by building multiple successful businesses from the ground up, using his experience and investment process to grow a significant personal fortune, according to Forbes. Known by some as the ‘Chinese Warren Buffet’, Guangchang has owned Wolves since 2016, solidifying their presence in the Premier League along the way.

When Roman Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea FC, Boehly was the frontman of a group ready to swoop in and make a deal. Since arriving in the summer of 2022, the American has certainly been willing to splash the cash, with over $600 million spent on player incomings, expect more excitement in the summer transfer window to come, as reported by The Guardian. 

Alongside his brother, Jindong has amassed a vast fortune, growing his small brick-and-mortar shop into a business worth billions. Jindong purchased Inter Milan in 2016 and a tumultuous period has followed, as reported by The Sun, but a first Serie A title in over ten years in the 2020/21 season perhaps made it all worthwhile.

Sawiris, alongside American billionaire Wes Edens, purchased a controlling stake in Aston Villa in 2018. At the time the club was in financial peril with an unpaid tax bill looming. Five years later and the club is in a much healthier state, with a talented squad and experienced manager, Unai Emery, at the helm, Villa are looking like a solid mid-table club again.

Chairman of Qatari Sports Investments, Al-Khelaifi has more than enough personal wealth to make this list. A professional tennis player in his younger days, his focus has turned to football these days, using his power and wealth to lure world stars like Neymar, Messi and Mbappe to his Parisian team.

‘Silent Stan’ as he was nicknamed by Arsenal fans, is one of the richest owners in the Premier League, with Arsenal finally starting to splash the cash in recent years and sitting atop the table, maybe he will lose his moniker soon. Kroenke also owns the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche, as reported by Forbes. 

Kraft is more famous for overseeing the greatest dynasty in NFL history, with his New England Patriots winning 6 Super Bowls in 17 years. However, he has always had an interest in football and was a founding member of the Revolution, owning them since their inception in 1996. At one point Kraft was close to purchasing Liverpool FC, but could never quite get it over the line.

A tycoon of industry, Anschutz made his fortune in telecoms, railroads and energy before branching into sports and entertainment. Known as a genuine lover of football, Anshutz has been a driving force behind the growth in America.

The owner of both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC, Khan is an international sporting tycoon. With a net worth well over $10 billion, he is among the wealthier individuals on this list. Fulham are currently flying high in the Premier League, with a real chance a securing European football this season.

Partnering with Formula 1 legend Bernie Ecclestone, Mittal purchased a minority stake in QPR back in 2007. Despite this combined backing, the club hasn’t been able to make any serious steps forward, languishing near the bottom of The Championship.

The Agnelli family has had close ties to the Turin-based club since the 1920s, so he may be the only member of this list to not purchase the club they currently own. His family made their money through the creation of Fiat cars and have no intention of giving up their ownership of ‘The Old Lady’ any time soon.

Francois-Henr Pinault has owned French club Stade Rennais since 1998 and his arrival coincided with some big advancements, including improving their youth talent scouting and development facilities, as well as a new stadium. He is the founder of luxury goods brand Kering and has an estimated fortune of £24.3bn, according to Forbes. 

At just 31 years old, Mark Mateschitz inherited a sporting empire following the death of his father and Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022. With this, he found himself with 49 percent stake in Red Bull GMbH, wich includes Red Bull football teams RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg and the New York Red Bulls, and also has a part-ownership of Red Bull's Formula 1 team, according to TalkSport. 

Sheikh Mansour’s ownership has transformed Manchester City into a global powerhouse, regularly winning trophies and competing in the latter stages of Europe. Backed by a family fortune estimated at over $1 trillion, according to Forbes, so there is no shortage of cash available to the Emirati royal.

After much back and forth, the Saudi-backed fund was able to purchase Newcastle in October of 2021. Newcastle were in the midst of a relegation battle at the time, but shrewd purchases and the hiring of Eddie Howe to manage the squad led them to safety and currently battling for a Champions League spot just a year later.