Elite-level football is a lucrative business, with billions in revenue sloshing around clubs thanks to broadcasting contracts and corporate sponsorship deals.
As well as the money involved, success in football brings with it prestige and it is also a very reliable way to elicit good will from the public at large. So it is no surprise that the game has become an attractive investment prospect for many millionaires and billionaires across the world.
Here are the richest football club owners in the world...
Sheikh Mansour
Man City, Melbourne City, New York City, $20bn
Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also known as Sheikh Mansour, is best known in a football context for his ownership of Premier League club Manchester City, but he also owns a number of other clubs through the City Football Group.
As well as Man City, Major League Soccer side New York City and A-League outfit Melbourne City are among the clubs in the City Football Group owned by Sheikh Mansour. Others include Mumbai City in India and the Uruguayan team Montevideo City Torque.
Dietrich Mateschitz
Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig, NY Red Bulls, $19.4bn
Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz has compiled an extensive portfolio of teams across a variety of sports, most of which have the name of his company emblazoned on them.
In football, his main concerns are Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg and MLS side New York Red Bulls.
Andrea Agnelli & family
Juventus, $13.5bn
The Agnelli family are the owners of Juventus, with Andrea Agnelli being the face of the family's football enterprise, serving as chairman of both the club and of the European Club Association (ECA).
Known as an industrialist family, the Agnelli family's business interests are varied, but they are mostly synonymous with the motor car industry, producing Fiat, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and other such brands.
Roman Abramovic
Chelsea, $12.4bn
Russian businessman Roman Abramovic caused quite a stir in 2003 when he injected millions into Premier League club Chelsea to help propel them along the path to success in England and Europe.
He made his money in the oil industry, but has also invested in aluminium concerns among others.
Philip Anschutz
LA Galaxy, $10bn
A founding member of Major League Soccer, Philip Anschutz owns the popular team LA Galaxy, but in the past also owned a number of other franchises in the league, including MetroStars, Chicago Fire and others.
The American billionaire's main business interests are in the real estate, oil, rail and entertainment industries.
Stan Kroenke
Arsenal, Colorado Rapids, $9bn
Premier League club Arsenal are owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, through his Kroenke Sports and Entertainment company.
Kroenke's company also owns MLS side Colorado Rapids, as well as a number of teams in other sports, including the Los Angeles Rams in NFL, Denver Nuggets in the NBA and Colorado Avalanche in NHL.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi
PSG, $8bn
Qatari businessman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is the head of Qatar Sports Investments, which owns and operates French team Paris Saint-Germain.
Al-Khelaifi is also the chairman of the beIN Media group, which broadcasts a variety of sports, and he was the mastermind behind the world record €222 million (£198m/$263m) transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to PSG.
Zhang Jindong
Inter, $7.6bn
Zhang Jindong is a Chinese billionaire who, through his company the Suning Holdings Group, acquired a majority ownership stake in Serie A club Inter in 2016.
The Suning group is a retail business dealing in domestic appliances, but Jindong's other interests extend to the media and broadcasting sector, as well as sport.
Robert Kraft
New England Revolution, $6bn
Kraft Group CEO Robert Kraft is the owner of MLS side New England Revolution and also previously owned the San Jose Earthquakes. The American billionaire, whose business interests lie in sports, manufacturing and real estate, also owns the NFL team the New England Patriots.
Kraft was among those who considered making a bid to control Premier League side Liverpool in the mid-2000s and still finds England's top division an alluring investment prospect.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha & family
Leicester City, OH Leuven, $6bn
Thai businessman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha is the CEO of King Power and owner of Premier League club Leicester City. He is also the owner of Belgian team OH Leuven.
Srivaddhanaprabha took over the running of the business following the tragic death of his father Vichai in a helicopter crash in 2018.
SH221B
1085
Kroenke concept : I am a Billionaire, but I don't spend money for my club
JohnWick7
893
Stan Kroenke is still wondering what Arsenal did with the money he realised Last Summer for Signing purpose[Crylaugh]
DarkKing2010
761
Andrea Agnelli is the one who Introduced the Old Lady to the Old Men
SonyMontana52
670
Wenger look alike that is why he couldn’t be sacked when he runs out of ideas 🤣💔
ronnie_luv
388
Wan Bissaka now :- I have a Sterling, I'm the richest footballer
mzeereal
327
The problem Arsenal owner has is that.. The snake 🐍 on his money 💵 always bite him whenever he want to spend a penny
Mngunirefioe7
183
I don't care whose the richest here, I'm a Liverpool fan but I salute Roman Abrarmovic, how he splash his money at Chelsea in 2004 it was something else. Chelsea were like Stoke City or Hull City but from nowhere they bcame power house. I like this Roman yes City did the same,PSG did the same but Abramovic is the real deal to me
THEBLAUGRANA
174
MAN CITY was richest with sterling , but now MAN UTD have sterling in WAN BISSAKAS pockets. MAN CITY is in wan bissakas pockets 😏😏
Dockrstu
133
football is money and money brings Good football cuz if not for this new owner of man city like nobody could have known them and I believed the likes of barca ,Madrid,Milan, Liverpool,man united juventus Chelsea use their financial power to get what they want even during transfer windows but we shouldn't blame this man city even without champion league they will still stand on their toes like any other big clubs and football is business which required money don't forget that fans of football ,champion league will come one day on like Chelsea( congrats)
zuebknrsz
125
No money No talk. The football standard is begining to drop slowly and could end up with no spectator watching the game. No more passion, no more skilful football and worst, the game is completely ruined. All because of money, more money pouring in football. We will not able to see the future of this game anymore unless.....