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Football has always been known to bring people from different sectors together. It may be in the form of support, investment or ownership, but the game has always excited people coming from diverse cultures.
Owning a football club is a pleasure in itself and it has often involved benefits from a commercial point of view. This has enticed businessmen from all around the world to take a keen interest in the game.
Football owners play a key role in the club's success
Roman Abramovich's case shows how a football owner can be influential in bringing success to the club. The Russian owner took over Chelsea in 2003 and played a vital role in making the club a top team in both England and Europe.
The vision and intent of the owner has always been crucual. Recent times have seen some young businessmen take ownership of the club. With young blood comes a modern approach and it is always exciting from a fan's perspective. Here, we take a look at the youngest owners in the football world right now.
#5 Ilan Shor (FC Milsami Orhei)
FC Milsami Orhei is a club based in Orhei, playing in the top division of Moldovan football. The club was founded in 2005 and is owned by Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor.
The 35-year-old owner was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and is also the chairman of the board of the Saving Bank of Moldova. Shor was elected as the mayor of the Moldovan town of Orhei in 2015 and served till 2019.
He was accused in a fraud scandal pertaining to loans issued by the Saving Bank and was placed under house arrest until 2015. Shor is now allowed to move freely and continues to possess ownership of Milsami Orhei. The club won the league once in the 2014-15 season and have ended up out of the top three only once since.
#4 Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Al Khaldiya)
Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa is a Bahraini military officer and also a member of the Bahraini royal family. The 32-year-old is the fifth son of the Bahraini ruler, King Hamad.
He's quite an active and versatile personality given his achievements in the military and sports. Khalid ranks as Major and commands the Royal Guard's Rapid Intervention Force. His keen interest in sports has seen him take part in two amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts and own Al Khaldiya in the Bahraini Premier League.
The club was founded in 2020 and has Dragan Talajic, the winning coach of the 2004 AFC Champions League, as their manager. Khalid was able to persuade former Arsenal man Alexander Hleb to come out of retirement and play for Al Khaldiya in July 2021. The Belarusian is likely to become the club's manager in the near future.
#3 Laurence Girard (New Amsterdam FC)
Laurence Girard is the owner of New Amsterdam FC, a club playing in the National Independent Soccer Association. The club was founded in April 2020 and has since been playing in the third tier of American soccer.
The American club is owned by both Girard and Maximilian Mansfield, with the former serving as sporting director. It follows a similar approach to Athletic Bilbao, where 50 to 60% of the team will possess local players.
Girard is just 30 and has shown a lot of ambition already. Along with being the owner of New Amsterdam FC, the American is the CEO and owner of Fruit Street. It is a company that delivers the CDC's Diabetes Prevention Program with registered dietiains.
#2 Siregar and Halilintar (AHHA PS Pati)
Atta Halilintar Putra Siregar Pati Football Club (AHHA PS Pati) is owned by Putra Siregar and Atta Halilintar. The club was formerly known as PSG Pati before the duo bought the club and changed its name.
Siregar is a businessman and mobile phone tycoon. The Indonesian was in the news in 2021 after he successfully distributed 1,100 sacrificial animals in the country, surpassing his previous year count of 404.
The 27-year-old is quite involved in the operations of AHHA PS Pati. Currently, the club plays in the second-tier of the football competition system in Indonesia.
#1 Kyril Louis-Dreyfus (Sunderland)
The youngest owner currently in the football world is Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. The French businessman owns 41% stake in Sunderland A.F.C.
The Louis-Dreyfus family is best known for trading in commodities. Kyril is the son of billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. Their family has always had an interest in football, having owned Olympique de Marseille (OM) until Robert's death in 2009.
At one point, Kyril was interested in playing the game, but injuries did not help his cause. Nevertheless, the Frenchman is quite passionate about the game and Sunderland.
The 25-year-old is friends with a number of sportsmen including Ousmane Dembele, Michy Batshuayi, Floyd Mayweather, Lewis Hamilton and many more. Kyril's ambition and perseverance should help Sunderland earn more success with time and hopefully get promotion from EFL League One in the future.
