Botafogo is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro. Although they compete in different sports, it is famous because of their men's football team, as the club plays in the Brazilian Serie A, the top division of the Brazilian league. The club is among the Big 12 teams in the Brazilian league, and one of the successful clubs, too. On July 1, 1894, Botafogo was founded in Rio de Janeiro as a rowing club.

On March 3, 2022, an American business tycoon, John Textor, decided to buy the Brazilian club, Botafogo, and finalized the deal to buy the Brazilian side with 1 billion reais, and the amount in American money was $166 million. Despite the American inauguration in the club, and exploring the market for the new young talents with the club's veterans, they are due to the poor performances by the club, and have not won any national trophy since 1995.

Who is the Owner of Botafogo?

Botafogo owner is John Textor, an American businessman. He is the former chairman of streaming television services, fubo TV. John Textor was born and brought up in Missouri, United States of America, on September 30, 1965. John is the majority owner and chairman of Eagle Football Holdings Limited and the leading shareholder of Botafogo, Olympique Lyon, and Crystal Palace. Textor was born as a member of the extended DuPont family in 1965. Textor claims to have grown up in a middle-class family in the Palm Beach area in Florida.

In August 2021, Textor invested £86 million for the 40% share of the English Premier League side, Crystal Palace, joining Steve Parish, Josh Harris, and David Blitzer as co-owners. Textor also made efforts to purchase Premier League big clubs, such as Brentford FC, Watford FC, and Newcastle United. In January 2022, Textor bought Botafogo for 90% of their share and paid the price of $166 million, and according to the media sources, a week later, he bought 80% of the Belgian side RWD Molenbeek, where the amount of the money is not publicly available. However, we can assume that, he paid a handsome amount of money for the ownership.

In June 2022, the American businessman became the owner of the French side, Olympique Lyon, by acquiring 40% shares of the OL group. However, the details related to how much money he paid for the ownership are not publicly available. In an interview in 2024, he criticized Paris Saint-Germain's Qatari takeover, and he also said that this is illegal in European football, that a foreign country can not own a European side.

John Textor: Primary Business / Source of Income

John Textor's primary business and source of income is centered around media, technology, and entertainment, with a significant focus on football club ownership. John Texter is the chairman of Eagle Football Holdings and have ownership in multiple clubs, such as Olympique Lyon, Crystal Palace, Botafogo, and RWD Molenbeek.

John Textor Net Worth

John Textor has multiple sources of income, as he manages a company named Eagle Football Holdings, where he has multiple ownerships in these clubs. Despite being such a big tycoon in America and a shareholder of numerous companies, his net worth details are not available in public sources, so we can not provide the exact information on his net worth.

Botafogo Owners History: From Past to Present

The ownership history of the Botafogo football club involves a transformation from traditional to transitional in the modern era, with the emergence of SAF and the investment of the American businessman, John Textor. Before the SAF model, the club was managed by a series of presidents, such as the famous ones, Eduardo Esteves, Alfredo Cristóvão, and Osvaldo Festucci.

  • Botafogo, like many Brazilian clubs, was historically managed by a board of directors, with a rotating series of presidents since the establishment of the club.
  • Recent presidents of the club were Dmitri Abreu, Osvaldo Festucci, and Alfredo Cristóvão.
  • In 2021, a law change in Brazil enabled private investors to take takeover the club.
  • In 2022, John Textor took over the club by investing an amount of $166 million and holds 90% of the club.