The world’s biggest and best football clubs are home to some of the richest individuals. Top 10 Richest Football Club Owners in 2022, this list contains only football club owners from Europe and the USA. The listed net worth of each of them is based on their true time net worth in 2022.
10. Wolves – Guo Guangchang: £5bn
Guo Guangchang is the 45th richest person in China and the chairman and co-founder of Fosun International Limited. He was born in 1963, and his personal wealth is estimated to be £5.2bn ($6.8bn).
He took over Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2016 when he became the chairman and joint owner of the club with Jeff Shi, who is also Chinese. Wolves were promoted to the Premier League at the end of last season after winning the Championship title by seven points from Cardiff City.
Guo Guangchang is one of China’s wealthiest businessmen, having made his fortune through investments in insurance, pharmaceuticals, and real estate before moving into entertainment with investments in cinemas and clubs.
9. Inter – Zhang Jindong: £6bn
The Chinese club Inter Milan owner, Zhang Jindong, is a Chinese entrepreneur with a net worth of around £6.2bn. He is Suning Holdings Co., one of China’s largest retailers, founder, and honorary chairman.
He first became involved in football after buying a stake in Inter Milan in June 2016 for $300m. His company also owns 50% of Jiangsu Suning FC, a football team based in Nanjing, China.
Jindong is one of the richest people on Earth, and his wealth has grown significantly over the past decade. He made his first fortune as an IT entrepreneur before moving into real estate and becoming one of China’s biggest property investors.
8. Arsenal – Stan Kroenke: £7bn
Stan Kroenke is a businessman and entrepreneur who became a majority shareholder in Arsenal Football Club in 2011. He owns several other sports teams, including the LA Rams (NFL), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), and Los Angeles Gladiators (Overwatch).
Kroenke founded Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) in 1995, and he has since expanded his holdings to include Arsenal, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Mammoth (NLL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), and many more.
Kroenke’s investments have helped him become one of the richest people in the world; according to Forbes’ billionaire list for 2022, he is worth over $8 billion.
He has spent over £250 million bringing top players to Arsenal and keeping them there—including Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Alexandre Lacazette.
7. LA Galaxy – Philip Anschutz: £8bn
The Los Angeles Galaxy is a Major League Soccer club based in Carson, California. It was founded in 1994 as part of the league’s first season of play. The team plays its home games at Dignity Health Sports Park, which has a seating capacity of 27,000.
Philip F. Anschutz is the owner of the LA Galaxy. He is the CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which owns and operates many sports teams and venues worldwide, including MLS’s Colorado Rapids and Houston Dynamo, England’s Wembley Stadium, and Germany’s O2 World Berlin, and Hong Kong Stadium.
Anschutz is worth £8bn ($10bn) today — he bought the LA Galaxy for $26 million (£17m) in 1998 and is now worth more than twice that amount.
6. Chelsea – Boehly and his consortium: £11bn
Boehly is an American businessman who has been in the news lately after he bought Chelsea football club. He is not new to the business as he was the founder of Digital Sky Technologies, based in Russia. The company has made him one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of over $10 billion.
Boehly bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovic, who had owned it for 13 years. In his statement, Abramovic said he had no regrets about selling the club, but he was glad it went to someone who would take care of it as much as he did himself.
He added that if anyone could give more than him in terms of investment into the team, he wouldn’t have minded losing ownership over it.
Boehly promised to commit £1.75bn in further investment for the benefit of the club. He recently bought Sterling, Cucurella, and Koulibaly in the current window.
5. Andrea Agnelli – Juventus (£14bn)
Andrea Agnelli is the chairman of Juventus, a position he has held since 2010. He is also the club’s owner, having inherited it from his family in 1923. The Agnelli family is worth an estimated £14bn, and Andrea is worth £1.4bn.
Agnelli was born in Turin in 1969, the son of Gianni Agnelli, who founded Fiat and died in 2003 after serving as the chairman for over 50 years. Andrea graduated from Bocconi University with a degree in economics and finance before joining Fiat as an intern in 1990.
In addition to being chairman of Juventus, Agnelli also serves on the board of directors at Ferrari and is vice president at Alitalia Airlines.
4. RB Leipzig & RB Salzburg – Dietrich Mateschitz: £16bn
The fourth-richest person in the world is a German businessman who owns 49% of the Red Bull energy drink company, which he founded in 1984. Dietrich Mateschitz was Forbes’s 40th wealthiest person in the world in 2019, and his net worth was estimated at $16 billion. Key behind the success of RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg is this billionaire, who has invested in soccer clubs across Europe.
Mateschitz owns New York Red Bulls in MLS, a team that has won two MLS Cups since 2006. He also owns an Austrian football club called FC Red Bull Salzburg—considered one of the most successful clubs in Austrian history. Also, RB Leipzig, which he and two other investors started as a new club that would play at the same level as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
3. Sheikh Mansour – Manchester City (£21bn)
Sheikh Mansour is the second richest owner in the world of football. He has a family fortune of at least $1 trillion and is reportedly worth £21bn.
Sheikh Mansour has been a majority shareholder of Manchester City since 2008, having bought the club for £200m. This takeover was largely funded by his family wealth, estimated at around $1 trillion.
Since then, the club has become a force in football because of foreign investment. During his tenure, they have picked up five Premier League titles and other major trophies, such as the FA Cup.
2. PSG – Qatar Investment Authority: £223bn
The Qatar Investment Authority was established in 2005 by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who wanted to diversify the country’s economy from oil and gas. It is now one of the world’s most powerful sovereign wealth funds, with over $320 billion in assets under management.
PSG was the first major sports team they invested in; they bought a 70% stake in 2011, with the remaining 30% owned by club chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi. They bought a further 10% stake in 2014, making them the largest shareholder and giving them a controlling interest in the club.
1. Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund – Newcastle United (£320bn)
According to the latest data from Forbes, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) is by far the richest owner of a football club.
The PIF completed their £305m takeover of Newcastle United in 2021, and they have already invested heavily in the transfer window this summer.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, is listed as the Chairman of PIF, and he has been busy since taking over at St James’ Park.
Newcastle remains in the buildup process under their new ownership, and there is no indication when they will make their next move towards promotion to the Premier League.
At the start of the new season, the Magpies remain linked with high-profile players such as James Madison, Jack Harrison, Harvey Barnes, and Goncalo Ramos, among many more. Eddie Howe is keeping the options open with funds widely accessible.
