Manchester United
Premier League / England
Manchester United is one of the most decorated and accomplished clubs in world football. With a history of dominance in the domestic league and some great triumphs in Europe as well, it is no surprise that Man United is one of the most popular clubs around the world.
Whilst a lot of the successes have been attributed to the many great managers and players that have represented the club, some part also lies with the owner of Manchester United football club. As it turns out, throughout its 122-year-long lifespan, there has been a long lineage of owners and chairpersons who have ensured the smooth running and progression of the football club.
Here, we will briefly summarise and gloss over the history of the Premier League giant’s Manchester United takeover, sporting director, Glazer Family net worth, Jim Ratcliffe net worth, Man Utd takeover bid Sheikh Jassim, and who owns Manchester United.
For a club with a glorious history and deep-rooted footballing culture, questions arise regarding who owns Manchester United? Manchester United ownership is jointly shared between Glazer Family and Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group.
Glazer Family was the primary owner of Manchester United Football Club for a long period. After completing a controversial buyout in 2005, it burdened the club with debts, which drew instant criticism from fans and media alike. Now, Malcolm Glazer's sons Joel and Avram Glazer serve as co-chairmen, holding a majority stake in the club.
The ownership of Manchester United saw a shift when Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group acquired 25% of the club, now increased to 28.9%. The deal outlined the football operations under the hands of INEOS Group. Even though, Glazer Family has the largest control, voting rights, and ownership of the club. The strategic control and football operations are steered by Jim Ratcliffe to bring investment, a new approach, and sporting success to the club.
The Glazer family ownership history is a must-read chapter of the Manchester United book, as this revered club turned a financial mess under the Glazer family which led to protests and drew fervent fan reactions.
The owner of Manchester United football club was Malcolm Glazer, an American Businessman who already owned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchise, and bought a stake in Manchester United, through his company Red Football, in 2003, slowly increasing his stake and control over Manchester United, at approximately €790 million.
The main controversy arose during the leveraged buyout. This takeover by the Glazer family incurred a heavy cost on Manchester United's future. Glazer borrowed a lot of money, around €528 million, to buy stakes in the club, and that too against Man United assets. Earlier, Man United used to remain debt-free, suddenly started facing monetary turbulence. This redirected the club's revenue towards paying the debt instead of focusing on the club's development. The interest payments of these loans exceeded €16 million initially, directly affecting the club's financial future.
This leveraged buyout prompted protests and outrage across the Manchester United global fanbase; slogans like ‘LOVE UNITED HATE GLAZER’ were carried out. A group of wealthy Man United fans sought to rescue their club out of debt by exploring a pound takeover, but it could not materialise.
This 2005 leveraged buyout put a strain relationship between fans and owners for years, and this perception remains regarding the Glazer family.
The Glazer family net worth stands at an estimated $10 billion; their business empire encompasses various sectors, but mainly generates fund from the sports franchises. Initially built under Malcolm Glazer, whose business expanded to food service, healthcare, broadcasting, real estate and various investments under First Allied Corporation. Their financial standing is closely related to the ownership of Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Franchise and the much-controversial leveraged buyout in 2005, Manchester United. Even though both the sporting franchise ownership has accrued a lot of net value and revenue, but also drawn a lot of criticism from the Manchester United fanbase.
| Year | Net Worth |
| 2020 | $2.3 billion |
| 2023 | $5.4 billion |
| 2025 | $10 billion |
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The owner of Manchester United football club Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group brought a new era to the club. Jim Ratcliffe's arrival is not just limited to business ownership but has also improved their strategy, as football management decisions in his hands, to navigate a better path for the club and restore its fine glory.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a British billionaire and founder of the international chemical industry giant INEOS, is also a lifelong fan of Manchester United, and thus his investment may spell a major turning point for the club. Ratcliffe went to school in the neighbourhood and throughout his childhood developed a personal attachment to the club. Ratcliffe built this multi-billion-dollar fortune (considered around $15.9 billion) through the widest industrial ventures of INEOS and its various holdings, and now he controls close to 28.9% of the shares of Manchester United. More importantly, as a consequence of his deal, INEOS Group will be running multi-billion-dollar football operations therein and duly undertaking the revamping of the sporting structure to help reinstate Manchester United to its former glory.
Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group, with major sporting control in their hands, are reshaping the club's operational structure, showing signs of a brighter future. INEOS completed its acquisition of a 25% stake, which was followed by further investment.
Although the Glazer family has the majority shares, the reins of the club are with Ratcliffe and INEOS Group controlling the operations of the men, women, and academy football. So all the strategic decisions, like player transfers, recruitment, coaching transfers, and management, will be overlooked by INEOS Group and Ratcliffe.
Jim Ratcliffe net worth stands at roughly €17 billion (around $21.5 billion in USD). In the late 90s, Jim Ratcliffe poured his fortunes chiefly into his company, INEOS, which has become one of the largest petrochemical companies around. INEOS rose swiftly by buying unwanted chemical tracts from big boys like BP and ICI and optimising their production for efficiency. This company produces practically everything-from chemicals required for everyday items to plastics and synthetic oils, up to chemical compounds required in medicines.
| Year | Net Worth |
| 2023 | €29.68 billion |
| 2024 | €12.7 billion |
| 2025 | €17 billion |
Jim Ratcliffe was born in Lancashire, now in Manchester, England. His father ran a furniture laboratory, while his mother worked in an accounting office. Jim Ratcliffe's personal life has been rather disclosed; however, he was married to Amanda Tomson in 1985, and they divorced after 10 years. They have two sons, George and Samuel. Ratcliffe also has a daughter with his ex-partner Maria Alessia Maresca, an Italian tax lawyer.
Currently, he is married to Catherine Polli.
Jim Ratcliffe wife is Catherine Polli. Catherine Polli is recognised as a Tier 1 leading individual in family law by Legal 500, with a specialism in high-net-worth divorce cases. Catherine also oversees marketing and business development, which keeps her busy alongside the everyday management of the firm as Client Services Partner. Catherine Polli has a daughter, Romane Polli, who, together with Jim Ratcliffe's daughter Julia Ratcliffe, was a godmother to the INEOS Britannia America's Cup race boat.
Jim Ratcliffe daughter, Julia Ratcliffe, is from a prior union with Italian tax lawyer Maria Alessia Maresca. There is also a daughter of his present wife, Catherine Polli, by the name Romane Polli. Julia and Romane were jointly designated as godmothers of the INEOS Britannia America's Cup race boat, demonstrating their involvement in Mr. Ratcliffe's family life and connection to his undertakings.
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Here is a list of Manchester United management personnel and key staff who help in day to day operations of the club.
| Role | Name |
| Co-Chairmen | Joel Glazer Avram Glazer |
| Owner/Board Member | Jim Ratcliffe |
| Director of Sport (INEOS) | Dave Brailsford |
| Chief Executive Officer | Omar Berrada |
| Chief Financial Officer | Roger Bell |
| Chief Operating Officer | Colette Roche |
| Head Coach | Ruben Amorim |
| Director of Football | Jason Wilcox |
| Head of Scouting | Christopher Vivell |
Manchester United sporting director is Jason Wilcox. As of 2025, having started as Technical Director in April 2024. Wilcox is responsible for all areas of football, including recruitment, analysis, the Academy, data science, performance, medical, and to a certain degree, the senior men's and women's teams; he reports directly to the CEO, Omar Berrada. The Englishman has a playing career to speak of, including claiming the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995, and subsequently held the positions of Academy Director at Manchester City and Director of Football at Southampton. The previous Manchester United sporting directors are :
Both the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe have a significant presence in sporting ownership, accumulating a lot of wealth from there.
Glazer Family has owned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League since 1995, with another major sports franchise being Manchester United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, through the chemical giant INEOS, has put together a far broader and complex portfolio of sports, moving outside the boundaries of traditional team ownership into the arena of high-performance and endurance sports. In football situations, INEOS is a full owner of OGC Nice in France's Ligue 1, acquired since 2019, as well as FC Lausanne-Sport in the Swiss Super League, which they have taken into control since 2017 (although Lausanne-Sport's ownership is now in a blind trust for UEFA compliance). The most high-profile one in this business is the sizeable minority stake and sporting control they now exert in Manchester United.
INEOS is also one-third co-owner of the extremely successful Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team. INEOS also owns the famous cycling team, INEOS Grenadiers (formerly Team Sky), and is a big investor in INEOS Britannia, the British challenger for the America's Cup. In addition, INEOS serves as a performance partner for the elite NN Running Team, which includes the likes of Eliud Kipchoge, as well as having a strategic partnership with New Zealand Rugby, which also covers the All Blacks. This long list of sports showcases INEOS commitment.
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For the most part, there have been many owners of Manchester United throughout the course of its existence. Moreover, there has almost always been more than one owner of Manchester United football club at any given point. When the club officially came to be as it is now known, in 1902, it was the result of 4 businessmen coming together to invest in what was essentially a sinking ship.
Among them was John Henry Davies, who became the first club president of Manchester United. That said, it is difficult to pinpoint all of the other parties involved due to limited or insufficient records, up until the early 2000s. As such, we have compiled a list of names who were the main men at the top, and quite possibly owned some or a majority stake in the club.
| Name | Years |
| John Henry Davies | 1902-1927 |
| James William Gibson | 1931-1951 |
| Harold Payne Hardman | 1951-1965 |
| Louis Edwards | 1965-1980 |
| Martin Edwards | 1980-2002 |
| Roy Garner | 2002-2005 |
| Malcolm Glazer | 2005-2006 |
| Joel and Avram Glazer | 2006- present |
| Sir Jim Ratcliffe | 2024- present |
Most notably, things came to a boiling point with regards to the owners when legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson clashed with John Magnier and JP McManus, aka the ‘Coolmore Mafia’ in the early 2000s. As it turns out, Magnier and McManus were two of the wealthiest men in Ireland, and owing to their friendship and common love for horse racing, Ferguson pleaded with them to become shareholders and majority owners of Manchester United.
However, things eventually turned sour between them, owing to a debacle regarding the ownership of a racehorse known as the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’. With the manager and the majority owners getting into a legal and public all-out war, it was a key turning point in the club’s history. No doubt, it was an ordeal so bizarre yet critical in how Manchester United’s ownership has since shaped up, led to the arrival of the Glazers, and the mess the club is currently in.
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The Manchester United takeover is a significant chapter in their history. The long unwinding process and period dramatically altered the ownership structure of the club. With Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group taking over the ownership of the club. Manchester United seemed to navigate change in the right direction.
Manchester United takeover is a long, unyielding story whose narrative shifts at turns from Glazer Family leveraged buyout to Jim Ratcliffe's recent investment. The story begins in 2003, with Malcolm Glazer buying shares in Manchester United and completing his acquisition by May 2005, when the leveraged buyout occurred. For nearly two decades, opposing factions among the fanbase protested against the Glazers' ownership, expressing their concerns over debt levels, perceived underinvestment in infrastructure, and payments of dividends. This fury escalated after the club went downhill ever since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement and came to a boiling point during the European Super League debacle in April 2021.
Being so intensely pressured, the Glazer family announced on November 22, 2022, that they were exploring strategic alternatives, which could potentially mean new investors or a full sale. The announcement set off a protracted bidding war between mainly lifetime United supporters Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani. After Sheikh Jassim withdrew his bid in October 2023, citing valuation issues, the path was cleared for Ratcliffe. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023, it was announced that INEOS would acquire 25& in the club.
This resulted in the hybrid model of management where the majority shares are owned by the Glazer Family, but strategic control is with INEOS Group. With INEOS Group's control, several key changes have been made in the management, such as the appointment of Ruben Amorim as head coach, Jason Wilcox as Manchester United sporting director, and Omar Berrada as the CEO.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's offer to buy Manchester United marked one of the very crucial recent chapters in the takeover saga of the club, given the Qatari businessman's strong public show of interest with promises of a debt-free, outright 100% takeover that would be backed by investment in both infrastructure and the team itself. Throughout the various rounds of bidding in 2023, Sheikh Jassim, through his Nine Two Foundation, had repeatedly pledged to wipe out the hefty club debt and pour in vast funds for stadium redevelopment and player transfers, essentially to return the club to its former glory. However, despite the bids being reported at over €5 billion, the takeover ultimately did not materialise when the Glazers were believed to have asked an even greater sum for the club, and there were also reports of a lack of submission of financing commitment letters by Sheikh Jassim's camp, and so becoming withdrawn in October 2023, thus clearing the way for a partial acquisition by Jim Ratcliffe.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Manchester United Football Club?
Manchester United is primarily owned by the Glazer family, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe (via INEOS) also holding a significant minority stake. The club operates as a publicly listed company, with shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
What percentage of Manchester United does Sir Jim Ratcliffe own?
In early 2024, Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 25% minority stake in Manchester United. His INEOS group also took sporting control of the club’s football operations, including recruitment and performance.
When did the Glazers buy Manchester United?
The Glazer family began acquiring shares in Manchester United in 2003 and completed a full takeover in 2005, turning the club into a privately owned entity.
Why is the Glazer ownership of Manchester United controversial?
Many fans have expressed concerns over the debt incurred during the takeover, lack of engagement with supporters, and perceived focus on profits over football success. These issues have led to regular fan protests.
Are there plans for a full takeover by INEOS or another party?
As of now, there are no official confirmations of a full takeover. However, many fans hope that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s involvement may eventually lead to majority ownership and structural change.
How do fans feel about Manchester United’s ownership?
Fan opinions are mixed. While many remain critical of the Glazer ownership, the entry of INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has brought renewed optimism about the club’s direction and footballing vision.
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