Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's wealth has dropped by over £6billion
He completed a £1.25b deal for a 27.7 per cent stake in United in February 2024
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By ADAM POGRUND
Published: 04:11 EDT, 16 May 2025 | Updated: 04:16 EDT, 16 May 2025
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has seen his wealth drop a staggering £6.473billion in the last year.
Ratcliffe, who completed a £1.25bn deal for a 27.7 per cent stake in United in February 2024, has seen his fortune fall by more than a quarter from £23.519bn to £17.046bn.
The 72-year-old, founder of petrochemicals giant INEOS which also owns Nice, later increased his share in the club to 28.94 per cent.
The billionaire sits in seventh in this year's Sunday Times Rich List, having been ranked fourth in 2024 and topping it in 2018.
He has overseen a dramatic and controversial cost-cutting exercise at Old Trafford as he looks to improve United's fortunes, including several rounds of redundancies.
Although the Red Devil's are one of the world's top revenue-generating clubs, Ratcliffe claimed the club would run out of money without his investment.
Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has seen his wealth drop £6.473billion in the last year
Ratcliffe,founder of INEOS which owns also Nice, saw his wealth fall from £23.519b to £17.046b
Kane has reason to smile after winning his first ever trophy and increasing his wealth by £25m
'Manchester United would have run out of money at the end of this year. November this year, the club runs out of cash,' he said.
'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.
'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.
'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.'
United have endured a miserable campaign under Ratcliffe's stewardship. They lie in 16th place in the Premier League with just two games remaining and must beat Tottenham in the Europa League final to reach next season's Champions League.
But in March, the club unveiled plans to build a new £2bn 100,000-seater stadium.
Ratcliffe's £3bn loss is only dwarfed by Sir Leonard Blavatnik, who saw his fortune plumment by £3.5bn last year.
However, the rich list provides more positive reading for British athletes, with Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua, Sir Andy Murray and Harry Kane all increasing their wealth.
Rory McIlroy sits in 19th place after increasing his personal wealth from £225million to £260m
Boxer Joshua has not fought since losing in five rounds to IBF heavyweight champion Dubois
Retired tennis star Andy Murray saw his fortune increase from by £10m to £110m last year
Masters champion McIlroy is the leading athlete in the Sunday Times' 40 under 40 list - which documents the worth of the 40 richest people under the age of 40.
The Northern Irish golfer sits in 19th place after increasing his personal wealth from £225million to £260m.
Boxer Joshua, who has not fought since losing inside five rounds to IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September, appears in 24th on £195m, a rise of £20m.
Retired tennis star Andy Murray, who ended his coaching partnership with Novak Djokovic earlier this month, saw his fortune increase from by £10m to £110m.
England captain Kane finally won his first trophy as Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title earlier this month. He has another reason to smile after making the list in joint-38th place with £100m, £25m more than last year.
Meanwhile, in the main list, the Reuben family, which holds a 15 per cent stake in Premier League Newcastle through RB Sports and Media, appears in second place with a fortune of £26.873bn.
The Coates family, including John Coates who holds a controlling interest in Stoke City, are 16th with £9.445bn.
Jim Ratcliffe