The most successful club in English Soccer, Manchester United, can have new owners after the current owners, The Glazer Family, announced last year that they are looking to explore new opportunities. This statement raised hopes for all those unhappy fans who wanted to see a change at the club’s top. Now, this may open all sorts of doors for a new owner to take charge and bring all the necessary adjustments that Man U fans were waiting for.
As expected, there is not one but many interested in this deal. The biggest brands in the world, like Amazon and Apple, have shown much interest in buying Manchester United. Several other billionaires have expressed their desire for this deal. But the one who stands out is the richest man in England, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
There is a high possibility that the CEO of INEOS, Mr. Ratcliffe, might win the bid. This 70-year-old billionaire is a big fan of the club and has expressed his wish to bid in the past. And another big name who will join Jim in the high-stake bid is none other than the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton And Jim Ratcliffe’s Relationship From Mercedes
There is a definite link between INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. Mr. Ratcliffe’s company is the principal sponsor of Hamilton’s Mercedes team and shares an equal partnership of the team’s ownership with the group’s principal, Toto Wolff, and the formerly called Daimler AG, now known as Mercedes-Benz Group. Hamilton partnered up with Ratcliffe when he tried to win the bid over Chelsea back in 2022. However, it was not a very fruitful association. But as Ratcliffe is among the top bidders in buying Man U, there is a possibility that Hamilton would join him again.
Lewis Hamilton commented back in September last year on Ratcliffe’s interest in buying Man U: “To me Jim is more like a partner than a boss. And I look forward to building something with him in the future. I have not yet discussed regarding the bid. But I want to be more involved and win in such bids. I believe in Black Equity and Black Ownership. In Sports there is a real lack of it.”
It won’t make much difference even if the Glazer Family demands the most expensive fee to transfer the power. This is because Lewis Hamilton knows how to deal with such negotiations very well. Last year Hamilton bought Denver Broncos as a co-owner for a record price in the history of the franchise.
The 38-year-old F1 motorsport superstar has expressed his other interest in things after racing, such as his business. Lewis Hamilton is passionately working on the expansion of his business. Besides the Broncos, his business empire is getting bigger as he does a lot of stuff. He recently launched a film production company, invests a lot in vegan firms, and has his online grocery app, Zapp, and his clothing brand, +44.
The British Superstar is among the world’s highest-paid athletes, with an estimated net worth of 234.4 million pounds.
