Goal takes a look at the golden-pocketed owners of some of the biggest teams in the game
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.
Here are the richest football club owners in the world...
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.
