Sir Jim Ratcliffe sees fortune decline by over a quarter

Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has seen his wealth fall by over £6bn in the last year - representing more than a quarter of his total wealth, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.

The 72-year-old's wealth has declined from £23.519bn to £17.046bn in the past 12 months, which means that he has slipped from fourth to seventh on the annual list of the UK's 350 richest people.

Ratcliffe founded the INEOS Group in 1998 with the company acquiring a 27.7% stake in Manchester United in February of 2024.

The £1.25bn deal saw INEOS take control of football operations at club.

In March, Ratcliffe announced grand plans to build a brand-new 100,000-seater stadium and as a consequence close Old Trafford - the home of United for over 115 years.

The club are hopeful that the 'world's greatest football stadium' could be finished within five years with Old Trafford likely demolished once it is completed.

Shrinking the size of the existing stadium to be used for Women's or youth team matches has been deemed not cost effective by the club's hierarchy.

Debt exceeding over £1bn has been well-documented at United and has led to co-owner Ratcliffe introducing controversial cost-cutting measures.

Just last week it was reported that the club had refused to offer free tickets to staff ahead of the UEFA Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim has since stepped in to fund staff tickets for next Wednesday's clash.

Speaking on his 'unpopular' cost-saving policies in March, Ratcliffe told the BBC: "Manchester United would have run out of cash by the end of this year - by the end of 2025 - after having me put $300m (£232.72m) in and if we buy no new players in the summer.

"If we hadn't have implemented the cost programmes and restructuring that we have done over the last 12 months."

Why does Sir Jim Ratcliffe have a knighthood?

Ratcliffe appeared in the 2018 Birthday Honours list, alongside Sir Kenny Dalglish, and was appointed Knight Bachelor for services to Business and Investment.

During the same year, the Sunday Times Rich List named him as the richest man in the UK, amassing a net worth of over £21bn.

William Dobbie

• Manchester United F.C.
• Premier League
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