The world of football has been overtaken by rich owners over the last decade, with their incredible wealth making it possible for some clubs to gain a major advantage.
The following is the list of the five richest football club owners presented by Naji.com:
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- Lakshmi Mittal (India)
Total assets: $16.5 Billion, up $500 million from a year ago.
Club: Queens Park Rangers Football Club (England)
Indian steel aristocrat Lakshmi Mittal is a long-term London inhabitant; he and his child Aditya were among the participants in the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Laskshmi and his family possess 33% of Queens Park Rangers, which broke their own transfer record twice, using over $30 million to purchase striker Loic Remy and Chris Samba. At present, the west London club is in 15th place in the English Premier League.
- Alisher Usmanov (Russia)
Total assets: $17.6 Billion, down $500 million from a year ago.
Club: Arsenal Football Club (England)
The wealthiest man in Russia, Alisher Usmanov, has his fingers in numerous pots: he got rich in metals (iron and steel), yet now has premiums in everything from Silicon Valley new businesses to Russia’s biggest business corporation Kommersant. Usmanov and extremely rich accomplice Farhad Moshiri, who has a fortune of $2.8 billion, likewise own stakes in FC Arsenal. American Stanley Kroenke, with expected total assets of $5 billion, is the controlling shareholder.
- George Soros (United States)
Total assets: $19.2 Billion, down $800 million from a year ago.
Club: Manchester United (England)
Extremely rich speculator George Soros is known for having burned up all available resources in England. Presently, he’s owns the U.K.’s biggest soccer club, Manchester United. In August 2012, Soros acquired a 7.85% stake in the football club, through his speculation firm, Soros Fund Management. Billionaire Malcolm Glazer is the club’s official owner.
- Amancio Ortega (Spain)
Total assets: $57 Billion, up $19.5 billion from a year ago.
Club: Deportivo La Coruna (Spain)
Spain’s Amancio Ortega, the design kingpin who established the Spanish retail titan Inditex, has moved into the top three of the world’s wealthiest. Ortega can frequently be seen in the Riazor stadium, home of Deportivo La Coruna. Ortega is the year’s biggest gainer, up $19.5 billion. On the other hand, his team, known as ”el Turco, ” has been a failure in the Spanish League, and is presently in last place.
- Carlos Slim Helu (Mexico)
Total assets: $73 Billion, up $4 billion from a year ago.
Clubs: Club Pachuca, Club Leon (Mexico) and Real Oviedo (Spain)
Carlos Slim is the world’s wealthiest man for the fourth consecutive year. He made his fortune in the telecom sector but didn’t stop there. In September 2012 he purchased stakes in two Mexican clubs, Club Pachuca and Club Leon. In November of that year, Slim obtained a share of battling Spanish team Real Oviedo. With all his wealth he tops the list of the richest football billionaires.
