Aspiring owner and long-time fan of Manchester United, Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is amongst the top 20 richest sports team owners across the world.
Ratcliffe, 70, is the CEO and chairman of the INEOS chemicals group and through INEOS, he is able to own three football clubs, namely OGC Nice, Swiss Super-League outfit FC Lausanne-Sport and Ivory Coast Ligue 1 side Racing Club Abidjan.
Now the Manchester native is one of two parties who have made their desire to own Manchester United public, with the other being Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
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Ratcliffe has stated that he intends to put the "Manchester back into Manchester United" with his bid and it remains to be seen whether the richest British man can own the club that he so desires.
He is not the richest in the world, however, and there are other sports team owners whose valuations dwarf that of Ratcliffe's, Mirror Football detailed the top 20.
20.Tilman Fertitta ($8.1bn)
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American businessman and TV personality Tilman Fertitta is the owner of NBA franchise Houston Rockets , his fortune originates from, amongst other things, restaurants and Las Vegas Casinos.
19.Hasso Plattner and Family ($8.6bn)
79-year-old German businessman Hasso Plattner is an investor in San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises, a company which owns NHL franchise San Jose Sharks.
18.John Malone ($9.2bn)
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American communications billionaire John Malone acquired Formula One in 2016, the 82-year-old also has interest in other US sports including baseball franchise Atlanta Braves, who won the World Series in 2021.
17.Robert Kraft ($10.6bn)
Manufacturing Tycoon Robert Kraft is owner of one of the founding football clubs of Major league Soccer, New England Revolution. He also owns the highly successful NFL franchise New England Patriots.
16.Philip Anschutz ($10.9bn)
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One of the founders of Major League Soccer in the states, 83-year-old Philip Anschutz has been owner of several sports franchises in his lifetime, most significantly being involved at LA Galaxy in bringing star names like David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the club. His company, Anschutz Entertainment group owns the Crypto.com Arena, where his hockey franchise the Los Angeles Kings play.
15.Stephen Ross ($11.6bn)
Real Estate billionaire Stephen Ross is owner of NFL franchise Miami Dolphins and has been owner since 2008. The 82-year-old has managed to involve a number of celebrities in the franchise, including the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena.
14.Shahid Khan ($12.1bn)
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One of the few Premier League based owners on this lsit, Shahid Khan has been owner of Fulham since 2013. Along with his son Tony, he also owns All Elite Wrestling and NFL franchise Jacksonville Jaguars.
13.Stan Kroenke ($12.9bn)
Chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, Stan Kroenke has been full owner of Arsenal since 2018, having previously been a shareholder in the club since 2011. He has not always been hugely popular with the fanbase but has recently invested significantly to back Mikel Arteta's squad. Away from football, Kroenke owns multiple US sports franchises including NFL side the Los Angeles Rams.
12.Jerry Jones ($13.3bn)
80-year-old American billionaire Jerry Jones has been the longest standing sports owner on this list, taking over the Dallas Cowboys in 1989.
11.Robert Pera ($15.5bn)
Another young name on this list is 45-year-old Robert Pera, who featured in Forbes' list of youngest billionaires when he was in his 30s. He is founder of tech company Ubiquiti Networks and has been owner of NBA franchise the Memphis Grizzlies for over a decade now.
10.Steve Cohen ($17.5bn)
American businessman Steve Cohen has owned Major League Baseball franchise New York Mets for the past three years, he previously held the status of minority owner for years before buying out the franchise in 2020.
9.Dan Gilbert ($18bn)
61-year-old American philanthropist and billionaire Dan Gilbert is owner of NBA franchise Cleveland Cavaliers but is also popularly known as co-founder and majority owner of Rocket Mortgage.
8.David Tepper ($18.5bn)
American billionaire David Tepper is the owner of NFL franchise Carolina Panthers. He has more recently ventured into football, investing in MLS expansion side Charlotte FC.
7.Masayoshi Son ($22.4bn)
Founder, chairman and CEO of SoftBankGroup, Masayoshi is one of the owners to feature on this list who is not European or South American. The 65-year-old is owner of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, a Japanese Baseball franchise that reached the 2022 playoffs.
6.Sir Jim Ratcliffe ($22.9bn)
Ratcliffe has extensive investments in football including the ownership of Nice and Lausanne, and is hoping to be the next owner of English football giants Manchester United. He also has investments in other sports, including cycling.
5.Mark Mateschitz ($34.7bn)
At just 30 years of age, Mateschitz is the youngest to feature on this list. The Austrian inherited the stakes of his father, Dietrich Mateschitz, when he died in 2022. Mateschitz owns stakes in German club RB Leipzig as well their MLS sister outfit New York Red Bulls and Red Bull racing in F1.
4.Francois Pinault and family ($40.1bn)
Alongside Ratcliffe in Ligue 1 is Francois Pinault who is owner of French club Rennes, and the wealthiest European football club owner on this list. The 86-year-old featured amongst the top 50 richest people in the world on a Forbes 2022 list.
3.Rob Walton ($57.6bn)
Heir to the Walmart fortune, Rob Walton, to date holds the world record for the most expensive sports team purchase when he bought NFL franchise Denver Broncos for $4.65bn in 2022. Ratcliffe could beat his record if he is successful in his bid for Man Utd.
2.Steve Ballmer($80.7bn)
Owner of Basketball franchise, the LA Clippers, Steve Ballmer is now nearing a decade as owner of the franchise. They are yet to win a conference title in his time, but did reach the conference finals in 2021 for the very first time.
1.Mukesh Ambani ($83.4bn)
The richest sports team owner in the world is Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, managing director of Reliance industries as well as owner of the Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians, who are a founding member of the league.
Featured Image Credit: (Image credit: PA Images)Topics: Football, Major League Soccer, Premier League, Manchester United, Arsenal