Last week, English driver Lewis Hamilton confirmed that, along with tennis player Serena Williams and some investors, he intends to buy Chelsea, which was put up for sale by oligarch Roman Abramovich, over his ties with Vladimir Putin. UK sanctions were targeted for Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The news fell like a bang in the Formula 1 circus, even as a result of the provocation of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen, who did not waste the opportunity and pushed the Mercedes driver, recalling that the Briton was a Arsenal claims to be fans, one of the main players being Chelsea’s rivals in England.
In the wake of the jab, the seven-time F1 world champion has defended himself, saying he sees a great business opportunity in a potential buy and that he has family fans of the Blue team in the British capital. If the fact is curious because Hamilton is a fan of a rival club, the situation is quite common, with many celebrities from sports, politics, cinema and music being owners or members of teams of the most diverse sports. Football isn’t the only thing to arouse interest among the rich.
Elton John
The British musician never hid that apart from music, he was always passionate about football, especially Watford FC from England. Inspired by the huge commercial success of his record, with an estimated 300 million copies sold, in 1977, Elton John took his love to another level and bought the team at his heart. In addition to his music and recordings, Sir Elton John was the team chairman from 1976 to 1987 and 1997 to 2022.
The team flew from the English Fourth Division to the National First Division, under the command of an interpreter of ‘Rocket Man’. In the 1982/83 season, the team finished as English runners-up, losing the title to Liverpool, the Beatles’ hometown. The following year, they were also runners-up in the English League Cup. As a tribute to Elton’s work at the club, in 2014 a stand at the team’s home Vicarage Road was named after the musician.
George W. Bush
Long before becoming the 43rd President of the United States of America, George W Bush ventured into the world of sports. In 1989, Bush led a group of investors in the purchase of a majority stake in the Texas Rangers baseball franchise for $89 million. Bush led the franchise as managing partner for five years. In 1998, he sold the shares and the sale earned him over $15 million.
Ronaldo incident
Among the famous people who still have teams, the name of the former striker is in great evidence. By formalizing Cruzeiro’s purchase of 90% of SAF, Ronaldo Fenemeno expanded his role as team owner. In 2018, Phenomenon bought most of Real Valladolid’s shares from the Spanish second division, even before buying the team that featured him. The former athlete’s first foray into this world was in the United States, where he was owned by the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
David Beckham
Since leaving the lawn in 2013, David Beckham has been completely devoted to the business. In 2018, he went ahead and founded his own Major League Soccer club, the elite of football in the United States. Inter FC Miami is led by a former star of the English national team and Manchester United, who even claim to have been inspired by lessons learned from Sir Alex Ferguson to lead the team. Currently in the final position of MLS’s Eastern Conference, the team has Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain as a great attraction on the pitch.
Will Ferrell and Magic Johnson
Los Angeles FC, also in MLS, brings together two stars from different worlds on its board. American basketball legend, Magic Johnson is one of the main shareholders of the team. The former athlete is not limited to investments in football, owns shares in the Los Angeles Dodgers, American Baseball League, MLB. Next to the star is American comedian Will Ferrell, who joined the board of shareholders in 2016 and did not miss a chance to joke about the situation. “I’ve never co-owned anything, although I co-own an ’84 Toyota Camry with my brother,” Farrell said at the time.
Lebron James
The Los Angeles Lakers star is looking for a variety of ways to invest his money and take advantage of his image. One way he found to do this was to invest real big bucks in a football team. Last year, through his company, Redbird Capital Partners, James invested approximately $625 million, more than $4 billion in Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Liverpool and Boston Red Sox, which became a shareholder of the traditional British team and Baseball Franchise.
Michael Jordan
According to Forbes, with an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, Jordan is a real success in the business world. The owner of the Nike-affiliated brand Air Jordan, former NBA players also invest in sports. Within basketball, he owns the Charlotte Hornets and owns shares of the Miami Marlins baseball team.
Ryan Reynolds
Hollywood star and interpreter of the antihero Deadpool on the big screen, Reynolds is another in the list of celebrities involved in club management. Along with his friend and actor Rob McElhenney, Reynolds bought Wrexham from the English fifth division in 2020. Star’s promise is to make the team a world power in the sport. On the social networks of the actor it is possible to check his work in front of the team.
