World's richest footballer could buy Man Utd and have £10bn change

A former Chelsea youth player, known as 'the world's richest footballer', is among the select few with the financial means to purchase Manchester United from the Glazers. Faiq Bolkiah, nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, pursued a career in football despite his staggering net worth of approximately £15billion.

The 27-year-old spent time at the youth academies of Southampton and Chelsea, before a four-year spell at Leicester City, departing in 2020 without making a first-team appearance.

In the same year, Bolkiah signed his first professional contract with Maritimo. After only two appearances for the Portuguese club, he moved to Thailand with Chonburi and since 2023, he's been playing for Thai League 1 side Ratchaburi.

His commitment to forging a career in football, despite his family wealth, is commendable, especially considering he could theoretically afford the £5.2bn the Glazer family are reportedly asking to approve a sale of the Red Devils. However, there is no suggestion that he has any intention of doing so.

While United's current value stands at £2bn, the Florida-based businessmen are believed to want double that amount. The significant premium could be based on future increases in the club's value, such as plans for their new stadium.

Speculation about the future of United was fuelled earlier this week when Saudi billionaire Turki Al-Sheikh stirred the pot on social media.

Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, took to social media to hint at a potential new investor nearing a deal with Manchester United. He posted: "The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor ... I hope he's better than the previous owners."

As speculation mounted online about the possible exit of the Glazer family, who have faced numerous protests from United supporters during their two-decade tenure at Old Trafford, Al-Sheikh clarified that he was not the investor.

In a subsequent post, he elaborated: "My yesterday's post about Manchester United's potential sale meant one thing: the club is in an advanced negotiation phase with a new investor. Just to clarify, I am not the investor, nor are they from my nation. I'm posting this as a fan who wishes the deal to happen, though it might not necessarily happen."

The Glazers assumed control of United in 2005 in a transaction valued at £790million. In 2023, they sold a 25% stake in the club to British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who later increased his minority share to 28.9% in a total deal worth a staggering £1.25bn.

Despite the Glazers retaining majority ownership, Ratcliffe confessed on The Business podcast that if the Americans ordered him to dismiss Ruben Amorim, he would resist.

Despite their high valuation, Manchester United's on-field performance has been less than stellar, languishing in 10th place in the Premier League. Despite a rocky start to his first full season at the helm, INEOS boss Ratcliffe has given Amorim a three-year window to prove his mettle.

"He has not had the best of seasons," admitted Ratcliffe. "Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That's where I would be."