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Elon Musk recently bought out Twitter for over a whopping €41 billion, as the SpaceX and Tesla owner increased his investment portfolio. While buying a social media company is profitable in its own right, there could have been better investments for the entreprenuer, like buying a football club.
Elon Musk could have changed world football with the money he used to buy Twitter
The 50-year-old businessman has never indicated his interest in making an investment in sports but buying a football club has a lot of benefits. The number of individuals keen to buy Chelsea at the moment is evidence of the same. But Elon Musk could have gone a step further and bought out 15 football clubs with the money he used to buy Twitter.
On that note, let's take a look at 15 clubs Elon Musk could have bought instead of Twitter.
#15 Everton- €0.60BN
Everton are currently battling in the relegation zone of the Premier League with Frank Lampard finding it hard to keep the Toffees up this season.
However, clever investments can change their fortunes, which hasn't been seen so far in the ownership of Farhad Moshiri. Everton have spent over €784 million since the summer of 2016. Their net spend of over €428 million is more than double that of Liverpool (€206 million) since the summer of 2016. Hence, it is clear they need some clever investment rather than spending lavishly.
If Elon Musk had bought the club, perhaps the investment would have been smarter. It could've been reasonable enough for the club to compete with the other clubs.
#14 Inter Milan- €0.70BN
It is quite astonishing how Inter Milan have fought to retain their Serie A title this season despite letting go of their manager and their two best players.
Hence, it can be assumed that if they had kept Antonio Conte and not sold Achraf Hakimi or Romelu Lukaku, they could have romped to the title. But the situation was brought upon the club due to the issues financial issues with their Chinese ownership, Suning Holdings Group.
So if Elon Musk had decided to buy Inter Milan, perhaps this situation would have never occurred. The Italian club could have been reaping the riches of their wealthy owner.
#13 Atletico Madrid- €0.94BN
Atletico Madrid, in comparison to Barcelona and Real Madrid, have spent very little on transfers over the last decade. Despite this, they regularly compete in the Champions League and are often in the mix to win the league title.
But a lesser-known fact about the club is that they have been under a lot of debt, especially due to their new stadium, Wanda Metroplitana. The losses due to the pandemic were also a cause of worry for the club.
However, a lot of this could have been eliminated if Elon Musk was the owner of the club. The wealthy businessman could have bought the club easily while also paying off their debts with relative ease.
#12 Borussia Dortmund- €1.79BN
Borussia Dortmund, like the whole of the Bundesliga, follow the "50+1" ownership rule, wherein the club, and by extension the fans hold a majority stake in the club.
They have been a successful model but have not benefitted in the form of trophies. Most of the major silverware in Europe has been dominated by clubs with private stakeholders recently.
Elon Musk could have brought about a massive change for Dortmund if he had bought the club instead of buying Twitter.
#11 Juventus- €1.84BN
Juventus are Italian royalty and have dominated Serie A over the last decade, albeit they have not enjoyed success this season.
However, the Old Lady have had to offload some valuable assets in recent years to either raise money for other transfers or to balance their books. While they have spent quite a bit in the last 10 years, they are now in the midst of a rebuild.
The Agenlli family, who own a majority stake in the club, have been decent owners. However, Elon Musk would have certainly revolutionized the club if he had bought them.
#10 Tottenham Hotspur- €2.17BN
It has been quite a while since Tottenham Hotspur got their hands on silverware, let alone the major trophies.
The white half of North London have longed to see their team fill the trophy cabinet since 2008 but things have not gone their way. One of the main reasons for the same has been a lack of reasonable investment year-after-year, not to mention selling off their best years.
Elon Musk holds the resources to change the fortunes of the club and could have certainly bought the club if he was not investing in the social media sector.
#9 Paris Saint-Germain- €2.36BN
Paris Saint-Germain are already one of the richest clubs in the world. Their Qatari owners have left no stone unturned in trying to lure the best players in the world to the French club.
However, their investments have not been clever, nor have they appealed to the technical or the tactical eye. The presence of an owner like Elon Musk could have led to strategic transfers that the club really needs rather than big name players.
If the Qatari owners decided to sell PSG, Elon Musk is more than an eligible candidate to bid for the club.
#8 Arsenal- €2.64BN
It has been nearly two decades since Arsenal last won the Premier League. On top of this, the Emirates outfit have never won the Champions League either.
A major cause for the lack of success has been the American ownership of Stan Kroenke. The US-based businessman's NFL team is one of the best in the business. However, the Gunners have been quite lackluster in the transfer market in recent years.
There has been an uproar amongst fans who are demanding that the Krokenes sell the club. If push does come to shove, Elon Musk could just about be the ideal owner for the North London club, given the enthusiasm and finances he has.
#7 Chelsea- €3.02BN
Chelsea are currently the only club on this list who could use a powerful owner to back them, following Roman Abramovich's decision to sell the club.
The Blues have been functioning without an owner over the last couple of months and are now suffering because of the same. They cannot get players to sign new deals, not to mention avoid making any moves in the transfer market at the moment.
Elon Musk, in many ways, is similar to Abramovich, especially in terms of finances. The Tesla CEO goes after what he wants, which is a strategy that could be very useful in the world of football.
#6 Manchester City- €3.77BN
Manchester City were a mid-table club in English football until Abu Dhabi United Group decided to acquire them in 2008. Since then, they have been the most successful club in the land and have won trophies season-after-season.
The Citizens have a sound footballing set-up and are bankrolled by one of the richest business groups in the globe. But there is no reason why they cannot improvise when the time comes for it.
Elon Musk may have bought Twitter for €41 billion but he may not blink twice before agreeing to a deal to acquire Manchester City.
#5 Liverpool- €3.87BN
Liverpool are arguably the best team in Europe right now and the model employed by the owners, Fenway Sports Group, has worked brilliantly.
But even the Reds would be lying if they said that they did not wish to sign the best players in the world to play at Anfield. Their budget allows them to scout incredible talent and the coaching staff is more than capable of churning out the best from them.
Sometimes, however, they might also want to bring out the checkbook and bring the hottest talent in Europe to Merseyside. Elon Musk could've turned those dreams into realities by buying the club out. He could've put them on the same financial podium as Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United.
#4 Manchester United- €3.96BN
Like Arsenal, Manchester United have not enjoyed success on the big stage for quite a while now. In fact, the last major trophy they won was the 2017 Europa League title.
Poor investment and horrendous boardroom decisions are at the epicenter of the fall of arguably the most widely supported club in the world. So it is no surprise that fans want the owners of the club, The Glazers family, to cut ties and sell the club as soon as possible.
While the American business family have not shown any indication of the same, Elon Musk might be a terrific owner for the Red Devils. His finances, coupled with the drive to make his ventures a success, could be just what the club needs to get to the top of the football pyramid again.
#3 Bayern Munich- €3.98BN
Like Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich are also a fan-owned club, with 50+1 stake controlled by the club itself.
But unlike Dortmund, they have enjoyed a lot of success in the Bundesliga and are the most decorated club in the country. They often sign the best players from the league while also luring marquee talent from Europe to the Allianz Arena.
However, their dominance in Europe has been diminishing over the last couple of years, thanks to the financial strength of the English clubs. Elon Musk could change the narrative by acquiring Bayern Munich, especially since he could easily afford to buy the club.
#2 Real Madrid- €4.48BN
Real Madrid, who are the second most valuable club in the world, are European royalty, thanks to their success in the past as well as in the present.
Los Blancos, like many La Liga clubs, is a registered organization and is owned by a group of "socios" who are effectively supporters of the club. But no club, not even Real Madrid, would ever refuse private ownership, especially if it came in the form of Elon Musk.
A dream owner for any sports club in the world, Elon Musk could certainly fit the requirements for becoming Real Madrid's owner.
#1 Barcelona- €4.49BN
If there is one club in the world that can use Elon Musk's finances, FC Barcelona is certainly one. The club's financial structure was so poor that they had to part ways with Lionel Messi last summer while also buying players on loan deals.
But like many other clubs in Spain, they are yet to enter the world of private ownership. However, given their debt, it would be the right way to go and they would genuinely not do better than Elon Musk.
The businessman has the tactical acumen and the resources to run a profitable organization, not to mention sign the best players in the world. But the US-based entrepreneur has instead invested in Twitter, despite having bought out the most valuable football club on the planet with a lot of comfort.
