Who Is Jim Ratcliffe? Meet The Man Utd Fan Who Bought 25% Stakes In Premier League Club

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe already has interests in football, Formula One and cycling. He now owns a slice of his boyhood club, Manchester United. It was announced on Sunday that the founder of chemicals giant INEOS had bought a 25 percent stake in the Premier League giants after a protracted saga. INEOS joined the race to buy United early this year after the club's owners, the Glazer family, said they were willing to listen to offers. United fan Ratcliffe, who made an unsuccessful bid to buy Chelsea last year, has long been linked with the Old Trafford club.

The 71-year-old already has an impressive sporting portfolio that includes French club Nice and Swiss team FC Lausanne-Sport.

In 2019, cycling powerhouse Team Sky became Team INEOS and the following year INEOS bought a one-third stake in the Mercedes Formula One team.

Ratcliffe and INEOS confirmed their bid for majority ownership of Manchester United in February and went head to head with Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who subsequently pulled out of the race.

The group vowed to make the Old Trafford side the "number one club in the world again" after a decade of under-achievement.

They also pledged to be "the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community".

Ratcliffe has not got quite what he wanted, with the Glazers still the majority shareholders at Old Trafford.

The Americans, who completed a leveraged takeover in 2005, saddling the club with huge debts, have proved deeply unpopular with supporters.

Ratcliffe, nevertheless, will feel he can play a part in restoring United to the pinnacle of English and European football after a chastening decline since Alex Ferguson won the last of the club's 20