Owning a football club is one of the hardest journeys a business person can embark on. However, more recently, we have seen some of the world’s most established stars, celebrities, sportsmen and sportswomen get involved with the task themselves.
From musicians like Ed Sheeran and Stormzy, to actors such as Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, here are some of the biggest celebrity owners in football.
Will Ferrell, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas & Michael Phelps Leeds United
One of football’s most fascinating ownership structures comes from West Yorkshire. Leeds United were taken over by 49ers Enterprises in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth £170m.
49ers Enterprises Global Football Group LLC is the investment arm of the American football team San Francisco 49ers. In 2018, they purchased a 15% stake in the Championship club, which then increased to 44% in 2021. The American syndicate now has full control of the Whites, who returned to the Premier League in 2025.
The most incredible thing about the investment group is not their multi-club portfolio, but the superstar lineup of celebrities and sports personalities who have now invested in their firm.
They include actors Will Ferrell and Russell Crowe, golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, Olympic legend Michael Phelps and NBA basketball players Larry Nance Jr. and Russell Westbrook – all of whom collectively come under the blanket as Leeds United co-owners.
Magic Johnson, Will Ferrell & Mia Hamm Los Angeles FC
Speaking of large consortiums, that’s exactly what you’ll find at Los Angeles FC in MLS.
Like his ownership of Leeds United, Will Ferrell is part of a 26-person ownership of LAFC, who joined MLS in 2018 as part of the league’s expansion and won the MLS Cup for the first time in 2022.
The club was also valued at more than $700m (£524m) in February 2020, which was a record for any Major League Soccer team.
Ferrell is a minority owner alongside Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter Guber, NBA legend Magic Johnson, former United States footballer Mia Hamm and her husband, Nomar Garciaparra, who was a baseball player for the Boston Red Sox.
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ByMark MarstonDec 5, 2023 Mesut Ozil & Kate Upton Club Necaxa
It’s not quite the consortium that Leeds or LAFC have at their disposal, but Mexican football team Club Necaxa must be credited for attracting some very well-known stars to their club in recent years.
It was reported in 2021 that former Arsenal star Mesut Ozil had joined actor Kate Upton, alongside her husband, MLB pitcher Justin Verlander and fellow Hollywood star Eva Longoria in buying around half the shares of the Liga MX franchise.
This was part of a group formed by real estate investor Al Tylis and Sam Porter, an executive at MLS club D.C. United. More recently, it was revealed that an American duo of actors had also added Necaxa to their already popular portfolio…
Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney Wrexham AFC
You definitely haven’t heard of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney being part-owners of Necaxa in Mexico, but you will, of course, have heard of the pair’s ownership of Welsh club Wrexham AFC.
If you didn’t know already, Reynolds and McElhenney are the owners of Wrexham, after the pair bought the club for £2m in 2021.
They have since successfully guided their beloved club to the Championship, which is three steps above the National League, where the club resided when they first took over.
Through their company PR McReynolds, they have also recently added Necaxa to their portfolio. It is believed the deal also benefits Wrexham, as part of Necaxa’s ownership group purchased a 5% stake in the club, so expect to see some pre-season friendlies with Welsh and Mexican fans in attendance!
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ByStephan GeorgiouOct 8, 2024 Michael B. Jordan AFC Bournemouth
You may have watched Bournemouth rock some pretty cool, commemorative-style shirts in recent years. That’s because the Cherries went into the 2024/25 campaign celebrating 125 years since the club was founded, which also caused minority shareholder and Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan to release two special kits of his own.
Jordan purchased a stake in the club as part of a minority investment group back in December 2022, alongside Bill Foley, who is a shareholder of Hibernian and owns the NHL ice hockey franchise Vegas Golden Knights.
LeBron James Liverpool
LeBron James became a part-owner of Liverpool in 2011 when he bought a 2% stake in the club for £4.7m.
According to a recent evaluation of the club by accountancy firm KPMG, James’ investment is now worth over £37m, with the club having got itself back to the top of world football by winning the Premier League and Champions League in recent years under the now departed Jurgen Klopp.
In March 2021, it was revealed that James and business partner Maverick Carter had become the first black partners at Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owners of Liverpool.
The group, who also owns the Boston Red Rox, bought the Merseyside club in 2010 for £300m. Forbes estimated in May 2024 that Liverpool were worth £4.3bn, so it is likely that figure is even higher now.
James already had prior links with FSG, having co-produced a television show with Tom Werner, who has the second-largest stake in FSG behind owner John Henry.
Ed Sheeran Ipswich Town
Ed Sheeran became Ipswich Town’s part-time owner in August 2024. Sheeran has held a front-of-shirt sponsor on Ipswich’s kits since 2021, and has purchased a 1.4% stake in his beloved club through Gamechanger 20 Ltd, who bought the team from Marcus Evans for £40m three years ago.
However, the club confirmed that the music superstar would not join the board of directors, though he would be awarded with his own executive box at Portman Road, which was personally designed for the 2024/25 season.
The pop star, who has 67.5m monthly listeners on Spotify, also collaborated with the club to design their Suffolk-inspired pink third kit.
Stormzy and Wilfried Zaha AFC Croydon Athletic
Moving slightly down the leagues, AFC Croydon were bought by UK rapper Stormzy and former Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha.
The club was supporter-owned from 2012 after former team Croydon Athletic struggled financially once it emerged that their owner, Mazhar Majeed, had been jailed for 32 months for his role in a match-fixing scandal.
They play at the Mayfield Stadium in Thornton Heath in the Isthmian League South East Division, which is the eighth tier of English football. Both Zaha and Stormzy grew up in the south London borough of Croydon and are part of a three-man consortium involved with buying the club.
Stormzy grew up in South Norwood, while Zaha spent his childhood on Thornton Heath. Danny Young, former head of player care at Crystal Palace, is the third man involved with buying the club. He spent almost ten years at Palace as the club’s head of kit, a player liaison officer and head of player care.
Tom Brady Birmingham City
It was announced in August 2023 that seven-time Super Bowl champion and one of the NFL’s greatest-ever players, Tom Brady, would become a part-owner of Birmingham City.
Brady owns 3.3% of the club, but his shares are actually in Shelby Companies Ltd, which was the organisation used by US investment firm Knighthood Capital Management to buy the EFL club last year.
The man who spearheaded that takeover was American hedge fund manager and co-founder of Knighthood Capital Management, Tom Wagner. He bought 45.64% of Birmingham City and St Andrew’s Stadium and it is believed it was his friendly relationship with Brady that attracted the NFL icon to the club.
The pair have worked on previous projects, specifically investing in a major league pickleball team with tennis star Kim Clijsters.
David Beckham Inter Miami
David Beckham signed for LA Galaxy in 2007 after rising to one of football’s most popular figures at Manchester United and then Real Madrid.
According to sports business expert Joe Pompliano, Beckham made over $50m (£37.4m) of income per season in MLS, which was a 155% increase from the money he made at Real Madrid. Pompliano also claimed Beckham made $800m (£600m) by the time he retired from professional football in 2013.
At LA Galaxy, Beckham’s lucrative contract also included an option to purchase an MLS expansion team at a discounted rate, and he did so with the addition of Inter Miami to his business portfolio in 2018.
Inter Miami made their debut on the pitch in March 2020 and were already the 10th-most valuable MLS franchise – valued at 24 times the original $25m expansion fee.
But that was only the beginning, as in June 2023, Lionel Messi turned down an epic offer from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal to join Beckham’s side following the conclusion of his contract at PSG.
Since then, the club have won their first major piece of silverware by winning the 2023 Leagues Cup title and continue to dominate viewing and financial figures in MLS, all to the pleasure of Mr Beckham himself.