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Football has evolved from a sport and a form of entertainment to a money-making business that generates colossal amounts all over the world.
The humongous cash flow that football is generating these days has made the sport more attractive to wealthy billionaires, who have increasingly invested their money in the football business since the turn of the century.
For a majority of these billionaires, their main aim for investing such huge sums in football clubs is not only related to the money they earn, since most of these clubs do not guarantee an instant return to the investment.
Instead, what they can get instantly are the reputation and honour, it bestows on them. In today's world of high profits, there are also many who invest because they are longtime supporters of the clubs.
Therefore, as a homage to these men behind the football clubs, we look at the five richest billionaire football club owners in the world today. All the monetary data has been acquired from Forbes.
Notable names like Florentino Perez, Nasser Khalifah, and Stan Kroenke miss out on this list for obvious reasons:
#7 Roman Abramovich - $11.4 billion (Chelsea)
Roman Abramovich is worth an estimated $11.4 billion, according to Forbes, which makes him the 140th richest man in the world.
Abramovich is perhaps the most famous football club owner in the world mainly because of his purchase of Premier League big boys Chelsea in 2003, and the extraordinary investments he has pumped into the London club to turn them into one of Europe's premier clubs.
He purchased Chelsea for £140 million in 2003 and has spent an estimated £2.6 billion on the club to turn around things. His investments at Stamford Bridge have brought Chelsea immense success in the domestic league as well as in Europe, having won both Champions League and Europa League in back to back years.
Recent speculations, however, suggest that he is considering selling a minor stake in the club to outside investors to further generate money for the club.
#6 Philip Anschutz - $12.4 billion (LA Galaxy)
Philip Anschutz is currently estimated to be worth a staggering $12.4 billion according to Forbes, which makes him the 108th richest person in the world.
The American entrepreneur bought the LA Galaxy in October 1998 for $26 million and incorporated it as part of the Anschutz Entertainment Group in 2000. Anschutz owns several subsidiaries in sports and remains committed to football development in America.
In 2012, Anschutz nearly sold LA Galaxy but he later rescinded his decision. He was responsible for David's Beckham's transfer to LA Galaxy which garnered extreme interest and reporting around the world.
#5 Lakshmi Mittal - $17.8 billion (Queens Park Rangers)
Lakshmi Mittal is worth around $17.8 billion and ranked the 62nd richest person in the world according to Forbes.
Lakshmi Mittal serves as chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker. On 20 December 2007, it was announced that the Lakshmi Mittal had purchased a 20 per cent shareholding in Queens Park Rangers football club joining Flavio Briatore and his friend Bernie Ecclestone as shareholders of the club.
Lakshmi Mittal has however not enjoyed the same successes that Abramovich enjoyed after purchasing Chelsea as QPR have not won any major trophy since he bought a stake in the club.
In fact, QPR has been relegated twice from the Premier League and are lingering in the relegation zone in this season's Championship.
#4 Paul Allen - $20.3 billion (Seattle Sounders)
Paul Allen is worth around $20.3 billion and is ranked the 44th richest person in the world according to Forbes.
Allen bought the Seattle Sounders which is a part of the American Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2007 when his company Vulcan Sports Entertainment merged with the owners of Sounders FC.
Paul Allen is known around the world for his early works with Bill Gates which culminated in the establishment of Microsoft, a behemoth in the software industry.
His investment in sports after retiring from Microsoft due to his illnesses have largely been because of his extreme interests in sports. He cites the good memories when he watched sports with his father, as the main reason he went into sports investment.
#3 Francois Pinault - $32.8 billion (Rennes)
Francois Pinault is estimated to be worth around $32.8 billion according to Forbes.
In 1998, he acquired French club Rennes and has since that time retained ownership of the club. Beyond football, Francois Pinault has his investments in clothing, retail, fashion, and design. He is known to be a shareholder of Gucci, the leading fashion and retail giant in the world.
#2 Carlos Slim - $66.6 billion (Club Pachuca, Club Leon, Real Oviedo)
Carlos Slim is estimated to be worth a staggering $66.2 billion and ranked the 7th richest person according to Forbes.
Though Carlos made none of his wealth from sports, he has still invested a lot of it in sports. He is known to have stakes in three football clubs namely, Club Leon, Club Pachuca and Real Oviedo. He remains the remains the 2nd richest football club owner in the world.
#1 Amancio Ortega - $68.3 billion (Depotivo La Coruna)
At the top of the list, Amancio is estimated to be worth around $68.3 billion and ranked the 6th richest person in the world according to Forbes.
Ortega is best known for his investments in clothing retail giants Zara, but very few people know that he is the owner of Deportivo La Coruna, a club in his home country, Spain.
Ortega lives in the same city where his football club is located and many believe that is one of the major reasons why he invested in the club. He famously delayed his daughter's wedding ceremony just to watch Deportivo La Coruna's match against Barcelona B team.
