Ronaldo’s Al Nassr SNUBBED as Forbes crowns Super Eagles star’s club owner World’s RICHEST

Bernard Arnault, the French luxury magnate behind LVMH, the conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Moët Hennessy, has been crowned the world's richest sports team owner by Forbes, boasting a staggering net worth of $171 billion.

It is a ranking that would have seemed far-fetched just 18 months ago, given that the route to the list ran through a modest French second-division football club.

In late 2024, Arnault's family holding company acquired a majority 55% stake in Paris FC, then languishing in Ligue 2, teaming up with the Red Bull Group, which took a 15% stake.

The consortium also holds the option to acquire club president Pierre Ferracci's remaining 30% share in 2027. The takeover was described at the time as the most significant ownership change in French football since Paris Saint-Germain were acquired by Qatar Sports Investment in 2011.

However, because Paris FC were still in the second tier when Forbes compiled its 2025 rankings, Arnault was excluded despite analysts noting that his wealth would have placed him comfortably at number one.

That changed this year. Paris FC sealed promotion to Ligue 1, qualifying the club for Forbes' criteria, and when the 2026 list was published this week, Arnault stood atop the global table, some $45 billion ahead of his nearest rival.

Amid the fanfare surrounding Arnault's billions, one detail stands out for Nigerian football fans: Paris FC's marquee signing ahead of their historic Ligue 1 return was none other than Super Eagles winger Moses Simon.

The Jos-born attacker completed a permanent move from FC Nantes on 25 June 2025, putting pen to paper on a three-year contract running until June 2028, in a deal reported to be worth €7 million.

Simon, who turns 31 in July, arrived with an impressive Ligue 1 pedigree. In his final season at Nantes, he scored eight goals and registered ten assists in 32 appearances, a combined tally that accounted for 46 per cent of the club's total goals.

Across six seasons and 180 Ligue 1 matches with Les Canaries, the explosive left winger became one of the most consistent attackers in the French top flight, helping Nantes survive relegation on multiple occasions and reach back-to-back Coupe de France finals in 2022 and 2023, winning the trophy in 2022.

For Paris FC, the signing was a clear statement of intent with the financial muscle of the world's richest sports owner determined to make its presence felt.

The broader significance of Forbes' latest ranking is difficult to overstate. Arnault's ascent to the summit displaces Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft chief executive and owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who had held the crown for the previous two years with a net worth of around $126 billion.

Ballmer remains second on the list, but Arnault's advantage is commanding.

Perhaps the most striking element of the list, from a football perspective, is who does not feature prominently. Al Nassr, the Saudi Pro League club responsible for making Cristiano Ronaldo the highest-paid footballer in the history of the sport, is backed by the Saudi state's Public Investment Fund, an entity not structured in a way that places a single individual atop the Forbes ranking in this category.

Meanwhile, Rob Walton, owner of the Denver Broncos and heir to the Walmart empire, sits third on the list at $146 billion, with Miriam Adelson, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, also featuring in the top five.

For Arnault, the ranking is both a commercial trophy and a signal of intent. With Red Bull's scouting network alongside the LVMH billions, Paris FC's long-term ambitions stretch well beyond mere top-flight survival — European football has been cited as an eventual target.

And Super Eagles star Moses Simon, with over 84 international caps for Nigeria, finds himself at the very heart of one of European football's most intriguing ownership stories.

Here are the top 20 richest sports team owners in the world for 2026, according to Forbes:

1. Bernard Arnault ($171B) – Paris FC (football)

2. Rob Walton ($146B) – Denver Broncos (basketball)

3. Steve Ballmer ($126B) – LA Clippers (basketball)

4. Miriam Adelson ($37.5B) – Dallas Mavericks (basketball)

5. Idan Ofer ($34.6B) – Atlético Madrid, FC Famalicão (football)

6. Robert Pera ($31.7B) – Memphis Grizzlies (football)

7. Henry Samueli ($30.8B) – Anaheim Ducks (ice hockey)

8. François Pinault ($29.5B) – Stade Rennais FC (football)

9. Daniel Gilbert ($27.9B) – Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball)

10. David Tepper ($23.7B) – Carolina Panthers & Charlotte FC (American football and Football)

11. Steve Cohen ($23B) – New York Mets (American football)

12. Stanley Kroenke ($22.2B) – LA Rams, Arsenal, Denver Nuggets & more (various)

13. Jerry Jones ($20.3B) – Dallas Cowboys (American football)

14. R. Budi Hartono ($19.6B) – Como 1907 (football)

15. Philip Anschutz ($19.4B) – LA Kings & LA Galaxy (basketball &

16. Michael Hartono ($18.9B) – Como 1907 (football)

17. Stephen Ross ($17B) – Miami Dolphins (American football)

18. Anders Holch Povlsen ($16.9B) – FC Midtjylland (football)

19. Peter Mallouk ($16.1B) – Sporting Kansas City (football)

20. Shahid Khan ($15B) – Jacksonville Jaguars & Fulham FC (American football & football)