Manchester City Owner Tops Soccer Rich List

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour financial success has led to him being named top of this season’s Football Rich List with a personal fortune of £20 billion ($31bn).

Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling Al-Nahyan family, has spent a reported £400 million on transfers since taking control of City in 2008 and has been rewarded by seeing the team qualify for this season’s Champions League and win the 2011 FA Cup.

The 2011/12 rich list, compiled by magazine FourFourTwo, reveals Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov is now wealthier than QPR shareholder Lakshmi Mittal, and moves up to second. The Russian is now reported to be worth £12.4 billion ($19bn), with Indian steel magnate Mittal slipping to third with a fortune of £11.8 billion ($18.2bn).

Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, who was the first of a new breed of rich foreign owners to make an impact on the Premier League when he bought the Blues in 2003, only sits fourth on the list, despite the fact his fortune grew by £2.9 billion ($4.5bn) over the year to reach £10.3 billion ($16bn).

Malcolm Glazer, the controversial owner of Manchester United, has reportedly increased his fortune by £110 million ($170m) to remain ninth on the list.

Liverpool owner John W Henry, whose consortium completed their buy-out of the club just over a year ago, is the highest new entry on the list, with the American going in at 20th.

Former England captain David Beckham tops the player list with his wealth growing by £35 million ($54m) to give him a personal fortune of £135 million ($208.6m) according to the list, making him the wealthiest player on their list and 42nd overall.

Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand remain second and third on the players’ list, with Ferdinand’s United team-mates Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney fourth and fifth respectively.

England boss Fabio Capello’s reported fortune of £3 8 million ($5.8m) puts him top of the managers list.