There’s a World Cup taking place, but that hasn’t stopped Manchester United from making the headlines on the sports pages. On the day the club terminated their agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo, it was also reported that the Glazer family, who have owned Manchester United for the last 17 years, had put the club up for sale.
The leveraged buyout of Manchester United by the Glazer family in 2005 was one of the most controversial acquisitions of a football club, and it looks like the debt-riddle reign is finally coming to an end.
The Red Devils have struggled ever since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, although there seems to be an air of optimism about the club’s long-term prospects at Old Trafford after the arrival of Erik ten Hag at the start of this season. As of the World Cup break, Manchester United are given odds of +135 of finishing in the top four of the English Premier League, according to BetMGM. Those odds seem like good value at the moment, and with the legalisation of Maryland sports betting online, you can use one of the many lucrative bonus offers available on ATS to get in on that market from the state.
Things could get even better in the future, as it now looks like the who’s who of the business world are interested in owning Manchester United with some links more credible than others. Here’s a brief look at three such parties.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Britain’s richest man and founder of the Ineos chemicals group, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is the current frontrunner. A United fan, Ratcliffe is a fairly private person, but has revealed in the past that he’d like to own United, and even put in a late bid for Chelsea following Roman Abramovich’s departure from the West London club. Ratcliffe also owns the French side OGC Nice.
Ratcliffe’s interest has been known for some time, but it’ll take a lot of money to buy Manchester United, with many financial experts suggesting it might be the most expensive sports team purchase in history. He is estimated to have a net worth of £6.33 billion, and the Raine group will have the final say in who ends up owning the club – the same group that handled the takeover of Chelsea earlier in the year, which might pose a few issues for Ratcliffe.
Amancio Ortega
Ortega is at the head of the Inditex empire, which includes popular fashion brands like Zara and Bershka, and he certainly has the capital to make such an acquisition with a net worth of $61.3 billion. Ortega is 86 years old, and his daughter, Maria Ortega Perez, is to succeed him and is the current chairwoman of the Zara fashion group.
Ortega has never had any associations with the sports world, which makes this a fascinating story. He has mostly invested in real estate before, and his interest goes to show just how big a brand Manchester United is.
Apple Inc.
Apple needs no introduction. They are the most valuable company in the world with a brand value reported to be $947.1 billion. The news about Apple’s interest shook the business and sports world.
The tech giants usually buy smaller businesses, and most football clubs are smaller businesses when compared to the larger business world, but Manchester United are a unique brand in the sports world, and this association might just make sense for all parties.
