The Premier League "is the playground of the rich and famous -- and that's not just those on the pitch," according to the London DAILY MIRROR.
While the stars of the show "are paid like kings those who own the clubs they play for very nearly actually are." Man City's Sheikh Mansour bin Zyed Al Nahyan leads all EPL owners with a worth of $31.2B. At the bottom of the list are Norwich owners Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones with a combined $36M.
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1 Manchester City -- Mansour bin Zyed Al Nahyan -- £20B
- Sheik Mansour transformed Man City "in all recognition." In buying it for £200M in '08, Mansour made Man City "the richest club in English football history overnight." As chairman of the Abu Dhabi United Group, Mansour "has overseen a colossal spend which has seen some of the world's finest players move to the Etihad."
- 2 Chelsea -- Roman Abramovich -- £5.3B ($8.3B)
- Perhaps the "most notorious owner in British sport," Abramovich is one of the world's wealthiest individuals, "having amassed a gigantic personal fortune from the oil, steel and mining industries in his native Russia." Equally famous for his "penchant for sacking as he is for his reserved nature," Abramovich is "yet to be interviewed publicly."
- 3 Tottenham -- Joe Lewis -- £4.9B ($7.7B)
- A British billionaire "who made his money in currency trading."
- 4 Arsenal -- Stan Kroenke -- £4B ($6.3B)
- An American entrepreneur, Kroenke joined Arsenal's board in '08. Three years later "he increased his shareholding to 63%" after purchasing the stakes of Danny Fiszman and Nina Bracewell-Smith.
- 5 Newcastle -- Mike Ashley -- £3.5B ($5.5B)
- A self-made billionaire, Ashley "made his fortune in the sportswear industry, specifically the Sports Direct franchise." ...
- 20 Norwich -- Delia Smith/Michael Wynn Jones -- £23M
- Britain's most famous TV cook "is a lifelong Canary and alongside husband Michael" was invited to invest in the Carrow Road club in hard financial times (DAILY MIRROR, 8/12).
