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Man Utd Co-Owner Jim Ratcliffe Loses £6.5bn in Wealth, Sees Fortune Drop by Over a Quarter. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, has seen his wealth drop by £6.473bn, a decrease of more than 25%, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List. Ratcliffe’s fortune has fallen from £23.519bn to £17.046bn in the last year, causing him to drop from 4th to 7th on the UK’s richest people list. The 72-year-old's company, Ineos Group, bought a 27.7% stake in Manchester United for about £1.25bn ($1.6bn) in February 2024, gaining control of the club's football operations. United’s ticket price increases and redundancies have drawn criticism, with Ratcliffe defending these cost-cutting moves to avoid the club running out of cash by the end of the year. Despite financial pressure, Ratcliffe remains optimistic about United’s future, particularly with plans to build a new £2bn, 100,000-seat stadium near Old Trafford. Ineos, Ratcliffe's petrochemical company, has faced its own challenges, including stepping away from sponsorship deals with New Zealand Rugby and backing out of support for Ben Ainslie’s sailing team. The decline in Ineos' fortunes is attributed to high energy and carbon taxes in Europe, as well as the continent's deindustrialization. Meanwhile, Manchester United is struggling in the Premier League, sitting 16th, but hopes for European football rest on their Europa League final match against Tottenham. While Ratcliffe's wealth declines, athletes like Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua, Sir Andy Murray, and Harry Kane have seen their fortunes rise in the same period. McIlroy leads the Sunday Times' 40 under 40 list, with his fortune rising from £225m to £260m after his career Grand Slam win at the Masters.
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