Even if you are not a football fan you will probably have heard of Manchester United Football Club.
Although its supporters will not be enjoying the current season as much as those in the past, Manchester United is one of the biggest – and wealthiest – clubs in the sports world and has an extensive honors list to prove its success over the years.
The club has fans from all corners of the globe, eagerly watching live English Premier League games and checking out the latest betting markets on the best Las Vegas sportsbooks.
But it is a local lad who now owns a significant part of the club and is responsible for sporting operations.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was born in what is now considered Greater Manchester and became the richest person in the United Kingdom in 2018.
As a multi-billionaire, he has been able to invest in a wide range of industries but his love for sports – and football in particular – now sees him as one of the most important people connected to the very high-profile English Premier League.
We are going to take a look at how he has reached this position in his life, as well as discovering his net worth in 2025.
Who is Jim Ratcliffe?
Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth (now in Greater Manchester) on October 18, 1952. His father was a joiner who went on to run a furniture factory and his mother worked in accounts.
At the age of 10, his family moved to East Yorkshire where he attended a local selective grammar school before studying chemical engineering at the University of Birmingham.
Ratcliffe initially worked at BP after graduating but was fired after only three days because of a skin complaint that had been overlooked in the recruiting process.
He then went on to take up a trainee accounts role at a pharmaceutical company, one that would introduce him to the industry in which he made his millions.
Ratcliffe worked for a number of energy and chemical companies, while also earning an MBA degree at the London Business School. By the end of the 1980s, he had joined a US private equity group.
After co-founding a company called Inspec, which leased former BP sites, Ratcliffe formed INEOS and bought out the original business, using Hampshire as a base for his operations.
Using high-yield debt, INEOS was able to purchase more unwanted operations from a number of energy and chemical companies, doubling profits along the way.
In 2006, INEOS bought out BP’s refining and petrochemical arm, giving Ratcliffe’s company a number of refineries and plants across Europe and Canada.
By 2018, INEOS and Ratcliffe were doing so well that he was named as the richest man in the UK, with a net worth of over $27 billion. The next year INEOS announced that it would be investing $1 billion in the UK’s oil and chemical industries to modernize what had become a fairly dilapidated system.
Although INEOS has stated its aims to dedicate itself to producing cleaner energy, Ratcliffe has criticized various governments and EU rules on the environment that he says make that move far more difficult.
Ratcliffe’s love of sport has seen him become involved in a number of avenues in the industry, including buying cycling, motor racing, and sailing teams. He bought a Swiss Super League football team in 2007 and then Nice, in France, in 2019.
He initially tabled a bid to take control of Chelsea of the EPL but ultimately acquired a 25% stake in Manchester United – the team he supported as a boy – in 2024.
Among a whole host of awards associated with the energy and chemical industries, Ratcliffe was knighted as part of the 2018 Birthday honors.
What is Jim Ratcliffe’s Net Worth in 2025?
It is clear to see that Jim Ratcliffe has made a lot of money by buying underperforming or unwanted chemical plants and refineries and turning them into profit-making operations. His expertise in that field has brought him a lot of influence and the ability to further increase his own personal wealth.
Investing in sports is sometimes regarded as one of the more risky industries for a man of his wealth. However, he has been able to increase his profile by buying into sports and teams with a high brand awareness.
Although Jim Ratcliffe is no longer the richest man in the UK, with that title currently held by Sir James Dyson, he is still incredibly wealthy, with a net worth currently estimated to be around $28 billion.
Conclusion
As a self-made billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considered a role model for many, with his ability to exploit opportunities in the chemicals market, allowing him to accrue such a vast fortune.
He has used his knowledge and expertise to continually grow profits for his businesses since launching INEOS at the end of the 1990s.
Not all billionaires enjoy such a high-profile as Ratcliffe, but his decision to buy into the world of sports made that almost impossible to escape.
He had already made a name for himself – and his businesses – in the world of cycling and motor racing before really stepping into the limelight by purchasing one of the most famous football clubs in the world.
Ratcliffe has not gotten to this point without experiencing criticism but taking such an important role at Manchester United seems more personal than many of his business moves and he seems determined to turn the team he supported as a boy back into the success it was in the recent past.