Hansjorg Wyss: The Swiss billionaire who could buy Chelsea FC from Roman Abramovich

The 86-year-old is said to be putting together a consortium to bid for the London club, Alex Pattle explains

Hansjorg Wyss, who founded Synthes USA, pictured in 2015 (Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Oceana)

The fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was always likely to be far-reaching – geographically perhaps, but certainly in terms of its political and financial impact. Yet one sphere that is almost always affected by events as seismic as this is sport.

Speculation around Roman Abramovich’s exact relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin have existed since the politician’s compatriot bought Chelsea Football Club in 2003, but in the two decades since, such questions have faded into the background as the focus shifted onto the pitch, where the London team have won 20 trophies since Abramovich’s arrival.

That is not true since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian teams have been thrown out of sporting competitions, notably Fifa and Uefa football tournaments, while the International Olympic Committee has called on numerous governing bodies in sport to expel Russia from their events. Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic have all refused to play Russia in the impending Fifa World Cup qualifying play-offs, potentially eliminating the invading nation from one of the biggest sporting competitions on the planet.

Everton players emerged for their Premier League match against Manchester City with Ukrainian flags draped around their shoulders last weekend, while the colours of that flag accompanied “No war” messaging on the jackets of opposition squad members. As fans expressed their support of Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion, a tearful Oleksandr Zinchenko took in the reception at Goodison Park – Man City’s Ukraine international overwhelmed by the moment.

Whether or not Russian athletes should be directly punished for the actions of a dictator and those around him, sport is doing its part to put pressure on Russia. And so pressure mounted on Abramovich.

“I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart,” came the statement from Abramovich. “In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club’s sponsors and partners.

“Moreover, I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.”

Soon after the 55-year-old confirmed his intention to sell Chelsea, fellow billionaire Hansjorg Wyss expressed an intention to buy the Premier League side.

Born in Berne, Switzerland, Wyss founded medical device firm Synthes USA in 1977 and has accumulated an estimated fortune of £4.3bn in the 45 years since.

That sum would make 86-year-old Wyss a legitimate contender to acquire Chelsea, though almost certainly with partners needed. Last year, Forbes ranked the Blues as the joint-25th most valuable sports franchise in the world at $3.2bn (£2.4bn). That position places Chelsea as the seventh most valuable football club in the world, behind only Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.

“Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England, he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly,” Wyss told Swiss newspaper Blick.

“I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich. I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2bn... As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price.

“I can well imagine starting at Chelsea with partners, but I have to examine the general conditions first. But what I can already say: I’m definitely not doing something like this alone.

“If I buy Chelsea, then it will be with a consortium consisting of six to seven investors,” stressed Wyss, who has no history of investing in sport.

Wyss has already partnered with Todd Boehly, who part-owns the LA Dodgers. Boehly reportedly had a £2.2bn bid for Chelsea rejected in 2019 and is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of the US company Eldridge Industries, which invests in sectors including sport.

Wyss has earned a reputation as one of the most philanthropic figures in the world due to his donations to politically liberal causes and those of an environmental nature. His charitable foundations have assets of over $2bn (£1.5bn), according to Forbes.

In his younger years, he attended the Swiss Federal institute of Technology Zurich, receiving his master’s degree in civil and structural engineering in 1959, before earning an MBA six years later at Harvard University. Wyss enjoyed spells in textile engineering, including car manufacturer Chrysler in Pakistan, Turkey and the Philippines, while also spending time in the steel industry with a separate business selling planes.

It was in this business that Wyss met a surgeon who had co-founded Synthes, a medical device manufacturer, which led to him founding and taking up a role as president of Synthes USA in 1977. Wyss established the company as the world’s largest maker of implants to mend bone fractures but resigned as CEO in 2007, with Johnson & Johnson acquiring the company five years later for $19.7bn (£15bn) in cash and stock.

Wyss remains invested in publicly-traded biotech companies, with stakes in Novocure and Molecular Partners. In addition to his charitable foundations, Wyss has pledged to donate $1bn (£760bn) to conservation efforts around the world over a decade through the Wyss Campaign for Nature, which aims to conserve 30 per cent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

The 86-year-old divides his time between Switzerland and Wyoming in the United States, while also owning a 900-acre ranch in Paso Robles, California.

Whether or not he will be Chelsea's next owner remains to be seen. On the surface, he would be a steward that may draw less public attention than his predecessor.