Top 10 club owners with the highest net worth (2021)
After months of speculation, a Saudi Arabian-backed takeover of Newcastle United has finally been completed.
The three-party consortium in the takeover includes the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), venture capital and private equity company PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports and Media.
There was a lot of controversy surrounding the involvement of the PIF in the takeover. However, the consortium was apparently able to successfully demonstrate that Saudi Arabia would not have control over the club and therefore were able to pass the Premier League's litmus test.
Where do Newcastle United's owners rank among the richest in the world?
With the successful completion of the takeover, Newcastle United have become one of the richest football clubs in the world. Fans were no doubt excited to see Mike Ashley's stingy ownership come to an end and will be looking forward to seeing the club return to its glory days. But where do the Magpies' owners rank among the richest football club owners in the world?
Here we take a look at the 10 richest football club owners with the highest net worth.
#10 Guo Guangchang (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - £5.2 billion
Guo Guangchang, the chairman of the Fosun Group, is the 10th richest owner in world football with a networth of £5.2 billion.
Hailing from the Eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang, Guangchang has been the chairman of the company since 1994. The conglomerate is based in Shanghai and Hong Kong and initially worked on market research. However, after expanding and finding success in the healthcare and real estate industries, Fosun became one of the biggest investment firms across the globe.
They turned their attention to investing in sports and brought Wolverhampton Wanderers from previous owner Steve Morgan in 2016 for around £45 million. They quickly transformed the club from Championship mediocrity to a Premier League mid-table side in the space of five years.
Wolves owner Guo Guangchang and chairman Jeff Shi drinking with fans in Liverpool last night. 🤩
Our owners > Your owners
Pic: Dean Griffiths https://t.co/KLMenhhLHO
#9 Zhang Jindong (Inter Milan) - £6.2 billion
Despite Inter Milan's recent financial issues, the Serie A side have one of the world's wealthiest owners.
Zhang Jindong, 58, is the founder and majority stakeholder of retailer Suning and purchased a majority stake in the Italian giants through his own private holding company in June 2016.
Football: Chinese billionaire Zhang Jindong swoops for Inter Milan hongkongfp.com/2016/06/06/foo… https://t.co/amSMa9E1Fn
The owners started investing heavily in the squad and appointed Antonio Conte in 2019 while also striking deals for the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.
The club eventually reaped the rewards of their investment after the Nerrazurri ended their 11-year wait for a Serie A title in 2020-21. However, the club found itself in financial trouble this summer which saw Conte leave his managerial role while the likes of Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi were also sold.
#8 Stan Kroenke (Arsenal) - £6.8 billion
Arsenal are just one of the many global sports teams owned by American Stan Kroenke, including the LA Galaxy Rams, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rapids.
Kroenke married Ann Walton, the heiress to the US supermarket Walmart, in 1974 and just nine years later founded a real estate development group - the Kroenke Group.
The company specializes in shopping centers and apartment buildings, with most of them located near existing Walmart stores.
Kroenke first brought shares at Arsenal in 2008, before increasing his stake to around 62 per cent in 2011.
The American is not a fan favorite at the Emirates. His lack of investment in the club has seen them fail to compete at the top of the Premier League in recent years. He did however spend £150 million on transfers this summer, making Arsenal the highest spenders during the window.
On the day of the Everton game a few weeks ago we looked at what 10 years of Stan Kroenke owning Arsenal has meant. The answer is damning. KSE have not been good owners but it is important to understand why #KroenkeOut #FansIn is the message. https://t.co/3tJJlOH4Ff
#7 Philip Anschutz (LA Galaxy) - £8.1 billion
Philip Anschutz ventured into sports after previously being involved in the family business of oil drilling.
The 81-year-old billionaire was one of the founding members of the MLS and owned a whole range of clubs. These included the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes and DC United.
Anschutz later sold all of his stakes to his other clubs while only keeping a majority portion of the Los Angeles Galaxy.
LA Galaxy remains one of the most prominent clubs in America and earned recognition across the globe when they landed David Beckham in 2007. They have also boasted the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Hernandez on their roster in recent years