Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, has seen a dramatic decline in his personal wealth, losing £6.473bn—more than a quarter of his fortune—over the past year, according to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List.

The 72-year-old billionaire’s net worth dropped from £23.519bn to £17.046bn, moving him from 4th to 7th place among the UK’s richest individuals.

United Ownership and Cost-Cutting Criticism

Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group acquired a 27.7% stake in Manchester United in February 2024, taking charge of football operations in a deal worth £1.25bn.

Since then, the club has faced criticism from fans and commentators over:

• Increased ticket prices

• Two rounds of staff redundancies

• Concerns about corporate cost-cutting

Ratcliffe defended the measures in a BBC interview in March, saying United would have “run out of cash by the end of this year” without decisive action.

Stadium Plans and Broader Ineos Challenges

Despite financial concerns, United have unveiled ambitious plans for a £2bn, 100,000-seater “iconic” stadium near Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe insisted that Ineos’ business challenges—including the termination of high-profile sponsorships like New Zealand Rugby and Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team—won’t affect United.

Ineos cited broader economic issues, including high energy and carbon taxes in Europe and ongoing deindustrialisation, as major challenges.

“Europe has become a very difficult place to do business for industrial companies because energy prices… are five times higher than in America,” Ratcliffe told the BBC.

United’s On-Field Struggles

United sit 16th in the Premier League with two games to play. Their hopes of qualifying for Europe rest on the Europa League final against Tottenham on Wednesday, with the winner earning a Champions League spot.