Who are Atletico Madrid Owners? A Detailed Look Into Atletico Madrid Ownership History & Current Leadership

Other Sports Teams Owned by Apollo Sports Capital

Apollo Sports Capital will also control the operations of Atletico San Luis and Atletico Ottawa after its recent takeover. Atlético HoldCo, the now minority shareholder of Atlético Madrid, had expanded its sports portfolio beyond the Spanish capital by implementing a strategic multi-club ownership model. This led them to acquire or establish football clubs in other key international markets. Their portfolio includes Atletico San Luis, a Mexican club competing in Liga MX, in which they acquired a controlling interest in 2017.

Additionally, they founded Atletico Ottawa, a Canadian team that was established in 2020 and competes in the Canadian Premier League. This expansion strategy allows the ownership group to grow the global brand of Atlético Madrid while also creating a network for talent development and scouting across different regions. ASC also have stakes in major tennis events like the Mutua Madrid Open and the Miami Open and aim for a business as well as a financial model that could multiply the company's current resources.

Apollo Sports Capital Source of Income

As a holding company for a sports team, Apollo Sports Capital doesn't have a primary source of income but instead derives it from the investment returns on the capital for its investors. It is one of the world's largest investment groups, which manages around $840 billion in assets alone. The firm's expertise is spread across high-profile acquisitions, restructuring of the corporate sector, and important investments in sectors like energy, technology, media, and many more. The other shareholder, Atletico HoldCo's primary source of income, is as such linked to the financial performance of its asset, Atletico Madrid, and its other football club ventures. Most of the revenue stream is derived from media and broadcasting rights, which account for a significant portion of the club's overall earnings from domestic competitions like La Liga and international tournaments such as the Champions League. Secondly, commercial revenue provides a major contribution through a huge range of sources, including lucrative sponsorship deals with companies like Riyadh Air and Nike, merchandising sales, and licensing agreements.
Matchday revenue, which includes ticket sales, season passes, and corporate hospitality at the Civitas Metropolitano stadium, is a third key pillar of income, especially with the club's move to a larger, modern venue.
Finally, the profitable business of player trading, where the club buys, develops, and sells players for a net profit, is a crucial component of their financial model, providing a huge capital injection that helps fund new player signings and manage debt. Beyond these regular operational revenues, the holding company also benefits from strategic investments, such as the capital increase from management, which provides an essential financial boost for long-term projects and stability.

Atletico Madrid Owners Net Worth

Atletico Madrid owners net worth is not an easily calculable figure, as the club are owned by a holding company with multiple key shareholders. Apollo Sports Capital (ASC)'s net worth is not available to the public, as investment wings do not report a single net worth figure like a corporation. ASC is a part of a bigger brand named Apollo, so its valuation is rooted within Apollo's assets. The most prominent and wealthiest individual in the ownership group is Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, a global business tycoon in shipping and mining. His net worth has been estimated by Forbes to be in the range of $17 billion to over $20 billion as of 2025.
The day-to-day leadership is provided by CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marín and President Enrique Cerezo, both of whom are now minor shareholders. While their individual fortunes are not at the same level as Ofer's, they are important and have been estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros, largely derived from their ownership stakes in the club and their other successful business ventures, such as Gil Marín's cattle breeding and Cerezo's career as a prominent film producer.

Atletico Madrid Owners History: From Past to Present

The history of Atletico Madrid's ownership has seen a significant shift from fan-run and club-member models to a more centralised, and at times controversial, private ownership. For much of the club's early history, it was organised as a sports association with elected presidents, a common model in Spanish football.
A key figure from this era was Vicente Calderon, who served as president for over two decades across two different periods (1964-1980 and 1982-1987) and is widely regarded as one of the club's greatest presidents, with the former stadium named in his honour.

The most dramatic change in the club's ownership came in 1992, when a Spanish law mandated that all professional football clubs become Sociedades Anonimas Deportivas (S.A.D.), or Public Limited Sports Companies. This transition allowed for the private investment of shares.
It was at this time that the controversial businessman Jesus Gil took control of the club. He has been president since 1987. Gil used this new structure to merge his power, and his tenure (1987-2003) was defined by an unstable blend of on-field success, including the 1996 league and cup double, and off-field scandals and financial mismanagement.e

Following Gil's death in 2004, his son, Miguel Angel Gil Marín, inherited the majority of the club's shares and took on the role of CEO. He, along with Enrique Cerezo, who became president, formed the new leadership. This partnership has guided the club since, supervising a period of both financial recovery and sporting recovery, most notably under the management of Diego Simeone, one of the highest-paid managers in the world.
In recent years, the ownership structure has evolved with the introduction of external investment. In 2017, Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer acquired a significant minority stake through his Quantum Pacific Group, and in 2021, the American investment firm Ares Management also bought into the holding company, Atletico HoldCo. This has transformed the ownership from a single-family enterprise into a diverse, modern corporate structure with international backing. In 2025, the Gill Marin family finally handed over the majority ownership to Apollo Sports Capital, which will oversee future operations at the club from now on. The injection of funds will surely make Atletico Madrid one of the most profitable institutions in the world.