If an utterly dismal campaign from Manchester United wasn't enough to leave Sir Jim Ratcliffe in a gloomy mood, the British billionaire's huge net worth loss certainly would
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a long way from bringing success to Manchester United
(Image: PA)
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has seen his wealth decrease by almost £6.5billion over the last 12 months. The British billionaire's staggering loss was the biggest among those included on The Sunday Times Rich List 2025.
Ratcliffe was ranked fourth in the 2024 list and topped the standings in 2018. But he has now fallen to become the seventh-richest individual in Britain, behind the likes of Sir James Dyson and Gopi Hinduja and family, who sits atop the list.
The INEOS chief, who competed a deal to buy into United last year, was worth £23.519billion in the 2024 Rich List. However, that has now decreased by £6.473bn to £17.046bn.
He has lost almost £3bn more than the second-biggest slider on the top 10 list in Sir Leonard Blavatnik, who saw £3.5bn shaved off his total wealth of £25.725bn. Mirror Football has reached out to Ratcliffe and INEOS for comment.
Ratcliffe still maintains a very healthy net worth but, given the financial struggles the Red Devils have endured in recent years, it certainly doesn't bode well for fans hoping for an immediate return to success under the Failsworth-born businessman.
Ratcliffe has been brutally honest about the dire financial situation he's walked into at Old Trafford since arriving at the club in February 2024.
Despite the 13-time Premier League champions consistently ranking as one of the largest revenue-generating teams in world football, the 72-year-old stunned supporters in his wide-ranging interview with Gary Neville earlier this year.
It was in March that he claimed the club were set to run out of money this year without his £232m ($300m) investment. "Manchester United would have run out of money at the end of this year. November this year, the club runs out of cash," he told the United legend.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 11: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim looks dejected as Leny Yoro is injured during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and West Ham United FC at Old Trafford on May 11, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim will be left sweating ahead of the Europa League final(Image: Lee Parker - CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
Ratcliffe - who has led multiple redundancy rounds at the club since his arrival - explained just how serious the financial situation has evolved. "If you think about Manchester United as a business, it’s gone off the rails. It’s gone off the rails a long way, really," he said.
"If you look at the numbers, the numbers were fairly scary, really. Because they’d sort of lost control, I think, of where the ship was headed. And the costs had got out of control.
"If you think of it in really simple terms, you’ve got the operating costs, which are all the staff and the fixed costs of running the business. And then you’ve got all the squad costs, player salaries and player purchases.
"In super-simple terms, the club has been spending more money than it’s been earning now for the last seven years, and it ends in a very difficult place."
Victor Lindelof and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United warm up during a training session at Carrington Training Ground
Victory in the Europa League final could bank Manchester United £100million thanks to Champions League qualification
With United set to finish no higher than 13th in the league this season, their miserable campaign can be somewhat saved should they claim victory in the Europa League final on Wednesday against Tottenham Hotspur.
Not only would a win capture a piece of silverware for a third season straight, it would also be Ruben Amorim's first for the club and could see them bank £100m in revenue given they'll qualify for the Champions League.
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