THE FOOTBALL RICH LIST 2026

FFT counts down the 50 wealthiest people associated with the beautiful game - featuring the founder of MLS, a Kazakh in Wycombe and a winger in Thailand's top tier...

- Words Ed McCambridge, Chris Evans

Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Al Nassr has made him the first person in history to become a billionaire thanks to their football career - but even his wealth isn't enough to get him into the list of the 50 richest people in the sport.

And Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds can forget about it, too - while he's valued at around £300m, you'll need a net worth of at least £2.6bn to make our list, restricted to people who own at least 25 per cent of a club, or otherwise have an active role.

Numbers are based on publicly available figures. Where possible, we've used Forbes valuations as of early December.

Despite hours of painstaking research, inevitably there may be some omissions, given the sheer number of clubs in world football. This, though, is one of the most extensive football rich lists created for some time.

JOHN TEXTOR

LYON/BOTAFOGO £2.6BN

Rarely do investors create as much noise as John Textor managed in 2025. The Missouri native had owned more a stake of more than 40 per cent of Crystal Palace since 2021, but sold his shares to compatriot Woody Johnson after the Eagles' FA Cup victory.

The win meant Palace qualified for the Europa League - a boon for any investor - and New York Jets owner Johnson gladly swooped in for a £190m purchase. Textor, who made his fortune through a string of tech and media ventures, made a cool £100m profit, yet he parted with his portion reluctantly, as Palace tried in vain to save their Europa League place.