Manchester City become ‘world’s most valuable football club’ after securing $500mn US investment
Premier League champions Manchester City have become the world’s most valuable football club after landing a mammoth $500 million investment from American private equity firm Silver Lake.
Though primarily known for their heavy investment in the realms of technology, Silver Lake will now own a 10 percent minority share in one of the world’s premier football clubs, leaving CFG’s valuation at a staggering $4.8 billion.
As a result of the deal, Abu Dhabi-based CFG now lie within touching distance of the $5.5 billion valuation given to the NFL giants, the Dallas Cowboys – the world’s most valuable sports team.
Those faithful to the Citizens will likely be delighted to hear that the Abu Dhabi-owned group have left their footballing competition far behind, with the likes of Real Madrid ($4.2 billion), Barcelona ($3.99 billion), and fierce rivals Manchester United ($3.8 billion) now eating their proverbial dust.
It’s important to note that CFG, despite their clear emphasis on the Premier League champions, are stakeholders in no fewer than seven clubs – with the most notable teams within that number being New York City FC, Girona, and Melbourne City FC.
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of this groundbreaking deal, CFG chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak expressed his excitement for the relationship that will be shared between both parties moving forward.
“We and Silver Lake share the strong belief in the opportunities being presented by the convergence of entertainment, sports and technology and the resulting ability for CFG to generate long-term growth and new revenue streams globally.”
City currently lie third in the Premier League table, nine points behind Liverpool, as Pep Guardiola’s men aim to win the title for a third successive season.
They confirmed their place in the Champions League knockout stages with a 1-1 draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.
