Inside World Of Man City Owner
London:
Pep Guardiola has revolutionised Manchester City on the pitch but behind the scenes there’s one man who has made their incredible new era possible.
Sheikh Mansour purchased the club in 2008 in for £210million (FJ$578m) and hasn’t looked back since.
Worth over £17billion (47bn), he is also the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and has other sporting interests in Melbourne City and New York City. Our colleagues at The Mirror have taken an inside look at the incredible life of City’s owner...
WHO’S SHEIKH MANSOUR?
Sheikh Mansour is the owners of City Football Group, comprising of Manchester City FC, Melbourne City FC and New York City FC.
He is also the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and has a number of other business ventures, including Virgin Galactic.
TRANSFORMATION IN MAN CITY
Since the Sheikh’s arrival at Manchester City, the club has undergone a sensational transformation.
They have claimed two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups. City have gone on to another level under Pep Guardiola this season, already sitting 11 points clear at the top of the table having not yet lost a game.
They are favourites to win the Champions League with the bookmakers ahead of their last-16 tie against Basel.
OTHER FOOTBALL TEAMS
Mansour launched New York City FC in 2013, signing the likes of Frank Lampard and David Villa to the Big Apple in recent years.
He added Melbourne City FC to his portfolio in 2014 and also owns and chairs Al Jazira, who played Real Madrid in the Club World Cup earlier this week.
INCREDIBLE YACHTS
If you’re one of the riches people in the world... you’re going to have a pretty impressive yacht. It’s the fifth largest in the world, is worth £400million (FJ$1.1bn) and is named Topaz.
The yacht has eight decks, two helipads, three swimming pools, a gym, a jacuzzi and a cinema among other features.
But arguably the most impressive part? He loaned it to Leonardo DiCaprio to host a party for 21 pals in Sao Paolo immediately prior to the 2014 World Cup. Mansour reportedly refuelled his yacht in Turkey recently, costing £380,000 (FJ$1bn) to fill the 730,000-litre tank... a five-hour process.
CARS
Mansour owns a five per cent stake in Ferrari, helping to take Formula 1 to the UAE by way of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which first took place in 2009 and has stuck around ever since.
In his fleet of cars, Mansour has owned a £350,000 (FJ$960,000) Mercedes SLR-McLaren, a Lamborghini Reventon worth £840,000 (FJ$2.3m) and a Ferrari Enzo which tips the scales at a cool £2.5million (FJ$6.9m). He also owns five Bugatti Veyrons, which have a starting value of £1.1million (FJ$3m), while his most expensive car is a £3million (FJ$8.2m) Porsche 911 GT1.
PRIVATE LIFE
The Sheikh is a private man, but has two wives and six children, according to The Sun. He married Sheikha Alia bint Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed in the 1990s, with who he had one son.
Mansour then married Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, his second cousin once removed, with who he has two daughters and three sons.