Football rich list: Roman knocked off top spot by City owner
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Football rich list: Roman Abramovich knocked off top spot by Manchester City owner
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the money man behind Manchester City.
Roman Abramovich officially lost his place as football’s richest man last night - as the new world order saw Manchester City named as the dominant financial force.
Chelsea’s owner has headed the annual rich list of football owners since arriving out of nowhere to oversee his blue revolution in 2003. But five years later and having spent £600million on players, wages and Stamford Bridge, Abramovich has lost top spot to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the money man behind Manchester City.
The transfer of power from Russian to Middle East oil is stark proof of the sheer scale of funds that City boss Mark Hughes has at his disposal.
Abramovich is now not even the wealthiest club boss in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, having been overtaken by Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, the major investor at QPR. Yet David Beckham’s status as the richest player remains unchallenged with a fortune estimated at £125m, more than three times that of nearest - and distant - challenger Michael Owen.
The new sea change at the top is no surprise but suggests why Chelsea have entered a new era of relative austerity as they seek to become "self-funding" by the end of the next financial year.
While Abramovich’s estimated wealth once stood at £7billion, he is believed to have lost a third of that in the world economic downturn. That helps to explains why the Russian oligarch has turned off the money taps at the Bridge, telling boss Luiz Felipe Scolari there will be no money available in the transfer window, with even the £12m raised by the sale of Wayne Bridge placed on hold until the summer.
Sheikh Mansour’s elevation to the top of the list, compiled by FourFourTwo magazine, is no surprise after his incredible takeover at City. Even before his buy-out of Thaksin Shinawatra was completed, Sheikh Mansour, estimated to be worth £15bn, had gazumped Chelsea to land Scolari’s prime target, Real Madrid striker Robinho, in a British record £32.5m deal.
That is just the start of a spree likely to surpass even Abramovich’s outlay of £121m in his first year as Blues owner.
Bridge is set to be followed into Eastlands by a clutch of new signings as Sheikh Mansour gives Hughes the heaviest purse in the history of the game, despite a run of poor results including the FA Cup embarrassment by Nottingham Forest.
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just they dont end up relegated in the same season.
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My personal dream choice for the drop...
City, Spurs & Boro... lol
Don't wish to see them in the premiership...
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My personal choice of drop
Manure, Arsenal and Chelsea...lol
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no challenge, they shld buy some club from the utter crap down under and bring them up. hahahhha
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What happen to Q.P.R owner?
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Originally posted by sg_forum:
My personal choice of drop
Manure, Arsenal and Chelsea...lol
why then Liverpool can finally win the EPL right?? no competition and win, shiok meh?
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Originally posted by dragg:
just they dont end up relegated in the same season.
don't think they will end up relegated.
I feel Hughes after managing the team for a while knows what he wants, and he will spurge in Jan transfer market. cause initially, he got the team from Sven and not what he wants.
by getting Bridge, and wanting Scott Parker, he is shoring up his defences and midfield. I see a sensible head but in the end, who knows what the owners want.
if they starts to interfere and buying players they want and not Hughes, then it will be difficult.
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obviously.
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Originally posted by [J]erry:
What happen to Q.P.R owner?
qpr are in league one.
i doubt the indian tycoon will spend indiscriminately.
he is afterall a through and through businessman.
qpr are debt free while man u have 500 million pounds of debt.