The rich in England are ruled by an Arab and a Russian

The largest fortune among owners of elite Premier League clubs belongs to Manchester City owner, Sheikh Mansour Al-Nahyan – 28 billion euros.

The top football competition in England, the Premier League, is the pride of sport in the British Isles. Yet, among the wealthiest owners of clubs in this elite league, you would hardly find a domestic businessman. The leader among owners is the Saudi Arabian head of Manchester City, Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. According to British daily The Mirror, the wealth of this royal family member amounts to the equivalent of 28 billion euros. The second richest among Premier League club owners is London’s Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (over 7 billion). Interestingly, out of the ten wealthiest heads of football teams, eight are from abroad. “Football in England is still on the rise. That’s why it attracts not only spectators but also foreign investors,” said sports analyst and football agent Jozef Tokos for the Economic Daily.

Their teams play in the most watched and richest football competition in the world, the English Premier League. Every year, they spend the most money on new player signings and on salaries for elite footballers. Yet, alongside stars such as Wayne Rooney, Sergio Agüero, or Cesc Fabregas, they usually stand on the fringes of the fans’ attention and the results of their favourite club. These are the owners of clubs in the famous Premier League. The fact remains that the majority of the twenty club heads are foreign businessmen. The dominance of foreigners running the elite of English football is especially visible in the top ten wealthiest Premier League owners – as many as eight of them are from abroad. The undisputed leader among them is Manchester City’s owner, Saudi Arabian Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. The Mirror estimates his wealth at the equivalent of 28 billion euros. With a huge gap behind him is Chelsea’s owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, with over seven billion euros. The match between the teams of these two richest men was the highlight of the weekend’s second round of the Premier League (the Manchester City vs. Chelsea match ended after our deadline). On this occasion, the Economic Daily introduces four businessmen whose millions shape football in the world’s richest league competition.

1. Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
   United Arab Emirates
   Club: Manchester City
   Wealth: 28.16 billion euros

He is a member of the royal family and the Minister for Presidential Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. The overwhelming majority of his income and wealth comes from the oil business. He entered Manchester City as an owner in 2008, when through Abu Dhabi United Group he bought this average English club for nearly 300 million euros. In England, it is said that Manchester City became the richest team in the British Isles overnight. Over seven years under his leadership, the club has spent close to one billion euros on new players. Most recently, he paid Liverpool 62.5 million euros for midfielder Raheem Sterling – the most expensive purchase of an English footballer in history.

2. Roman Abramovich
   Russia
   Club: Chelsea FC
   Wealth: 7.46 billion euros

He made his billions after selling significant stakes in Russian companies Sibneft, Russian Aluminium, and Aeroflot. He acquired these through strong political connections, first to President Boris Yeltsin and later to Vladimir Putin. He was briefly a member of the Russian State Duma and served two years as governor of Chukotka. Today, he channels his business through the investment company Millhouse Capital, based in the United Kingdom. He entered Chelsea in 2003. Over twelve years, under his leadership, the club has won the Champions League, the Europa League, the English Premier League four times, and the same number of FA Cups.

3. Joe Lewis
   United Kingdom
   Club: Tottenham Hotspur
   Wealth: 6.90 billion euros

A London native and the highest-ranked Brit in the list, he gained his wealth from currency trading in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, his business activities are managed by the Tavistock Group, which brings together more than 200 companies in fifteen countries worldwide. He invests in tourism, real estate, financial services, healthcare, and energy. Interestingly, in the recent past, his company also held shares in a football club in the Czech Republic – Slavia Prague. He owns Tottenham through the investment company ENIC International Ltd, where Lewis is the majority shareholder.

4. Stanley Kroenke
   USA
   Club: Arsenal FC
   Wealth: 5.63 billion euros

Thirty years ago, he founded the real estate and development company Kroenke Group, which has built dozens of shopping centres and apartment complexes in the United States. He rose to prominence in business in 1995 when he married the daughter of the founder of Wal-Mart. He is considered one of the most powerful men in sports – in addition to Arsenal, through Kroenke Sports Enterprises he also owns the Pepsi Center arena, home to NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and NBA’s Denver Nuggets. He joined Arsenal’s board in 2008, and three years later increased his stake to 63 percent, becoming the majority shareholder.