Who are the richest owners in football? Where Newcastle rank after takeover
Newcastle’s takeover by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium has been completed and makes the Premier League club the wealthiest in the world
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The takeover of Newcastle United has been completed in a £305m agreement that sees Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) become the wealthiest owners in world football.
PIF has financed 80 per cent of the bid from the Amanda Staveley-led consortium and reportedly boast assets worth around £320bn.
A major obstacle in the consortium’s bid was overcome on Wednesday when Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on the Qatari-based media company beIN Sports, and The Independent understands the deal could be agreed by the end of the week.
PIF have investments even greater than those of the Qatar Investment Authority, who own French club Paris Saint-Germain and whose assets are worth around £220bn.
Although Newcastle's takeover, which has been criticised by human rights groups including Amnesty International, sees the club backed by the wealthiest owners in the world, PIF are unlikely to emulate the same level of expenditure that followed Sheikh Mansour’s takeover of Manchester City in 2008.
Here is how Newcastle rank in comparison to some of the other richest owners in world football:
1. Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund – Newcastle United: £320bn
2. Qatar Investment Authority – Paris Saint-Germain: £220bn
3. Sheikh Mansour – Manchester City: £21bn
4. Dietrich Mateschitz – RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg: £15.7bn
5. Andrea Agnelli – Juventus: £14bn
6. Roman Abramovich – Chelsea: £10.5bn
7. Philip Anschutz – LA Galaxy: £8.1bn
8. Stan Kroenke – Arsenal: £6.8bn
9. Zhang Jindong – Inter Milan: £6.2bn
10. Guo Guangchang – Wolves: £5.2bn
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments