Jim Ratcliffe bought into Manchester United, expecting to fix things quickly. Nearly two years later, fans are still waiting. And they’re getting fed up.
It’s December 2025. United just published their quarterly financial results. Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United, shows a £13 million operating profit after brutal cost-cutting. But the team’s sixth in the Premier League. The ticket prices keep going up. Staff got made redundant. Free lunches disappeared. And supporters reckon Ratcliffe’s more interested in spreadsheets than silverware.
Who Is Jim Ratcliffe?
Jim Ratcliffe was born on October 18, 1952, in Failsworth, Lancashire. Jim Ratcliffe age is 73 now. His parents’ home was a council house. His dad was a joiner. His mother was employed in an accounts department. Proper working-class upbringing.
He studied chemical engineering at Birmingham University and received an M.B.A. from London Business School. Began working for BP and was fired three days later. Then Esso. Then Courtaulds. In 1989, he joined a US private equity firm, Advent International. That’s where he learned the debt-financed buyout game.
In 1998, he founded Ineos. Started with one chemical plant in Belgium, bought for £84 million. Now it’s one of the world’s biggest chemical companies with over 26,000 employees operating in 29 countries. Revenue’s about $55 billion yearly.
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Jim Ratcliffe Net Worth
Jim Ratcliffe net worth took a battering recently. He’s worth about £17 billion now, down from £23.5 billion last year. That’s an £6.5 billion drop. Bloomberg puts him at $15.9 billion.
He was Britain’s richest person in 2018 with £21 billion. By 2023, he’d hit £29.7 billion and was the second richest in the UK. But the chemicals industry’s struggling. Energy costs in Europe are mental. Carbon taxes are crippling. Ineos warned in February 2025 that Europe’s chemicals sector faces “extinction” without policy changes.
He moved to Monaco in 2020 from Hampshire. That reportedly saved him £4 billion in tax. Controversial move, especially since he’d backed Brexit in 2016. People reckoned it was a bit rich, leaving Britain after championing Leave.
The Manchester United Takeover
In February 2024, Ratcliffe acquired 27.7% of Manchester United for about £1.25 billion. The Glazers retained majority ownership but Ratcliffe gained control of football operations.
He arrived, promising to restore United’s glory. Lifelong fan. Season ticket holder as a kid. He had attempted to buy Chelsea in 2022, but lost out to Todd Boehly. This was his opportunity to own a slice of his boyhood club.
Among his first steps was ousting the top leadership. Omar Berrada as CEO of Manchester City. Newcastle’s sporting director, Dan Ashworth, and Jason Wilcox from Southampton. He then fired Erik ten Hag and hired Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon as manager.
The Cost-Cutting That Made Him Hated
Ratcliffe slashed costs everywhere. About 250 staff were made redundant. Free lunches for staff disappeared. Christmas parties cancelled. The club stopped paying for away shirts for the youth players’ families. Security staff numbers dropped.
Jim Ratcliffe defended it in March 2025, saying United would’ve run out of cash by Christmas without the cuts. He’d already pumped in $300 million of his money. But fans weren’t having it.
The ticket price rise hurts most. United now charge up to £97 for category A fixtures. Last season, the cap was £66. That’s a £31 increase in one year. Season tickets went up, too.
Fan groups backed a nationwide campaign for a two-season freeze on ticket prices. Other clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham froze prices. United didn’t. Ratcliffe’s planning further annual increases of up to 5% as part of his “long-term financial strategy”.
There’s talk of a Personal Seat Licence system at any new stadium. Fans might pay up to £4,000 just for the right to buy a season ticket. That’s straight from American sports, where it’s common. British fans reckon it’s taking the piss.
The Financial Results
The December 11, 2025, financial results showed the impact. Employee benefit expenses dropped £6.6 million due to job cuts. Total revenue fell 2% from £143.1 million to £140.3 million. Commercial revenue down 1.3%. Broadcasting revenue is down because they’re not in Europe this season.
But the operating profit of £13 million compared to a £7 million loss last year shows the cost-cutting worked financially. Whether it works for football remains to be seen.
CEO Omar Berrada said these “robust financial results reflect the resilience of Manchester United as we make strong progress in our transformation of the club.” But transformation’s only good if you win matches.
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The Football Problem
Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United’s new owner, spent more than £200m on players in the summer of 2024. Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. Matheus Cunha from Wolves. Others. Big money.
But then came United’s sixth in the Premier League back in December 2025. They ended last season in 15th place, their worst placing since 1973/74. Amorim’s trying to reverse it.
Ratcliffe conceded in March 2025 that appointing Ten Hag was “the wrong decision”. He had handed him a contract extension in the summer of 2024 before firing him nine games into the next season. Wasted money there.
He believes United can capture the Premier League by 2028, in time for the club’s 150th anniversary. Admitted it’s not “Mission Impossible,” but acknowledged Arsenal and Liverpool took years to rebuild. Most people reckon 2028 is optimistic given where they are now.
Jim Ratcliffe Cars and Lifestyle
Jim Ratcliffe cars include an interest in automotive ventures. Ineos Automotive makes the Grenadier, a 4×4 that looks like the old Land Rover Defender. They’re building it in Hambach, France and opened a factory in South Carolina.
He’s into sports beyond football. Ineos also owns the French club OGC Nice and Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland. They are the title sponsor for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. They own the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team.
He’s completed the Marathon des Sables through the Sahara. Completed expeditions to both the North and South Poles. Three-month motorcycle journey across South Africa. He’s not your typical billionaire sitting in boardrooms all day.
Jim Ratcliffe Daughter and Family
Jim Ratcliffe’s daughter exists, but he keeps family life private. He’s been married twice. He has two sons from his first wife, Amanda Townson. One daughter from a previous relationship. He’s currently with Catherine Polli. They live in Monaco.
He doesn’t do social media. No Jim Ratcliffe Instagram. He’s called “publicity shy” by the Sunday Times. Prefers staying out of the spotlight, though owning Manchester United makes that difficult.
Jim Ratcliffe Height and Appearance
Jim Ratcliffe height isn’t widely documented, but he’s of average build. Grey-haired now. Often wears Ineos-branded gear at United matches. Sometimes arrives at training via helicopter, which got attention when Amorim needed talks during a rough patch.
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What Happens Next
United fans are stuck in limbo. The cost-cutting is working financially. The operating profit proves that. But nobody supports a football club to see operating profits. They want trophies.
Ratcliffe thinks it will take three years to turn United into “the most profitable club in the world” with “the most iconic football stadium” and start winning tournaments once more. That stadium would be a shiny new 100,000 seater as part of government regeneration plans for the region surrounding Old Trafford.
But today, in December 2025, Jim Ratcliffe is among the most unpopular men at Old Trafford. His £17 billion fortune can’t buy him goodwill from supporters who are priced out and let down. Seems the business acumen doesn’t automatically translate to running a football club. Who knew?
