World’s 13th richest person owns tiny club with net worth 6 times Abramovich’s
The world's 13th richest person owns a small Spanish football club despite having a staggering £61billion net worth.
Carlos Slim became the controlling stakeholder at Spanish second division side Real Oviedo after investing just under £2million in the club back in 2012. Slim was previously the richest person in the world between 2010 and 2013, according to Forbes, and has an impressive business portfolio that includes the New York Times and links with Formula One.
He is also the third richest sports club owner in the world, according to a study by betting company OLBG, thanks to his net worth of just over £61billion. That makes him roughly six times richer than Chelsea's outgoing owner Roman Abramovich, who has an estimated net worth of around £10billion.
As for Oviedo, the club are currently seventh in the second tier in Spain, having not been in the top flight since the 2000/01 season.
Prior to Slim's investment, the club had been through a series of financial struggles during the 2000s which left them close to extinction and they even dropped into the fourth tier of Spanish football.
Oviedo, who have never won a major trophy, play their home matches at the 30,500 capacity Estadio Carlos Tartiere and boast the likes of Michu, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla and Stan Collymore among their former players.
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They have been owned by Slim since 2012, when he invested £2million in the club in return for a controlling stake, with the club one of multiple businesses he owns through conglomerate Grupo Carso.
Grupo Carso's name is an amalgamation of Slim's first name and that of his wife Soumaya Domit, who sadly passed away in 1999. The couple had six children together, including son Carlos, who is now the chairman of Grupo Carso.
The 82-year-old Mexican billionaire is currently the 13th richest man in the world, having been ranked number one by Forbes between 2010 and 2013.
He has a background in civil engineering and also owns the largest number of shares in the New York Times, having first invested in their parent company back in 2009.
Slim also has ties to F1, with Grupo Claro owning Red Bull Racing sponsor Claro, a Mexican telecommunications company.
He is also a long-time friend and sponsor of Red Bull driver and fellow Mexican Sergio Perez, having had a close relationship with him since Perez's karting days.
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