Born in Greater Manchester, Sir Jim Ratcliffe was the richest man in Britain only a few years ago.
With Manchester United fans crying out for new ownership, the British billionaire looked to be the ideal candidate to step into the fray.
It’s been a far more complicated process than anyone would have hoped, but even so, he’s gradually building his influence at the embattled club. So, here’s how Jim Ratcliffe’s net worth is looking today.
How Much Is Jim Ratcliffe Worth?
As one of the richest people in the UK, the Jim Ratcliffe net worth figure is certainly a big one. As it turns out, according to both Forbes and The Times, Ratcliffe is worth just over £17 billion.
This puts him in seventh among the highest net worth individuals of Britain and 138th in the world overall. His wealth and net worth are greatly down his chemicals company, Ineos.
As for his most valuable sporting asset, he owns close to 29 per cent of Manchester United. The club is ranked as the second-most valuable football team in the world at £5.2 billion – only behind Real Madrid.
Despite this, even though Real Madrid are the richest football club in the world, Manchester United only land fifth in the rankings, speaking to how a very strong legacy and good business behind the scenes creates true club value.
Manchester United Ownership
Manchester United fans have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the club’s owners, the Glazer family.
There have been protests for a long time – shown by the green-and-yellow scarves and shirts – but by the turn of the decade, fan discontent couldn’t be ignored anymore.
With Old Trafford neglected and the team fading into mediocrity since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the time finally came for the Glazers to sell. However, this turned out to be a very drawn-out process.
For many months, Sir Jim Ratcliffe was the dark horse to take over. The favourite in the football betting specials was Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani from Qatar for a good spell.
The sticking point seemed to boil down to the Glazers not actually wanting to sell the whole club, but rather, a piece of it. The Qatari businessman eventually withdrew, allowing Ratcliffe to take a 27.7 per cent stake for £1.25 billion.
Having thrown down another £79 million at the end of 2024 to move his stake up to 28.94 per cent, Ineos paid a huge sum to take just sporting control of the club, with a promise of investment in the stadium as well.
Progress has been slow, or arguably non-existent, since he completed the deal in February 2024. The club has been grossly mismanaged for a long time, particularly when it comes to football affairs.
As such, if that already mighty Sir Jim Ratcliffe net worth number is to go up due to the increased revenues and value of Manchester United, the part-owner certainly has a lot of work to do.
Business Pursuits
A chemical engineering graduate from the University of Birmingham in 1974 with a 2:1, he was given a job at BP for three days, but was dismissed due to his eczema.
From there, he went to Esso, which funded his MBA degree.
After that, it was on to Courtaulds and then Advent International, a private equity group in the US. Later, he founded Inspec by leasing a former BP Chemicals site in Belgium before forming INEOS in 1998 to then buy-out Inspec.
From there, Jim Ratcliffe built a chemicals empire that also has operations that deal in food and packaging, pharmaceuticals, textiles, construction, fuels, and, of course, professional sports.
In sports, the billionaire has bought into Manchester United, took over Team Sky in cycling to form Team INEOS, and became the principal partner of Mercedes AMG F1.
Most recently, Ineos also became the primary sponsor of the All Blacks. So, across sports betting, there are many ways to back a Ratcliffe-associated team.
Personal Life
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has won numerous awards across his career, including the Petrochemical Heritage Award in 2013 and the Institution of Chemical Engineers’ honorary fellowship in 2009.
Easily the most prominent honour, of course, is his Knighthood, which was bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth II during her 2018 Birthday Honours.
Outside of business and honours, Ratcliffe has two sons by Amanda Townson, a daughter by Maria Alessia Maresca, and is currently married to Catherine Polli.
As you’d expect from such a business titan with homes in Hampshire and Monaco, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s net worth is exceedingly high, but it could grow if he manages to turn the Red Devils around.
*Credit for the photo in this article belongs to Alamy*
