With a single phrase, Tesla entrepreneur Elon Musk supercharged the discussion over Manchester United’s future and drove the football world into hysteria on Thursday.
The team’s primary Twitter account has more than 32 million followers, and Musk’s message received 220,000 “likes” on the platform within two hours.
The CEO of electric vehicle company Tesla made the remark as Manchester United, champions of England a record 20 times, has had a horrible start to the 2022-2023 season.
It was unclear what he thought of new coach Eric ten Hag’s contentious insistence on passing out from the back, or whether he thought dissatisfied star striker Cristiano Ronaldo should be allowed to depart.
However, following a devastating 4-0 loss on the road to Brentford, the team has dropped to the bottom of the table. The outspoken entrepreneur’s post offered fans optimism that the Glazer family, located in Florida, might relinquish ownership of the team.
Manchester United’s New York-listed shares have fallen 24% in the last year, valuing the club at just over $2 billion. Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family of the United States, who also control the NFL team Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since taking possession in 2005, the Glazer family has been immensely despised in Manchester for their apparent mishandling of the team.
The Glazers have stated repeatedly that they would not sell the club, but the dismal condition at Old Trafford and Musk’s billions may finally persuade them to reconsider.
Musk’s statement was a response to an earlier tweet that stated, “To be clear, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party!” In a soccer lineup, the left and right halves are the positions.
Musk sold $US6.9 billion in Tesla stock this week, giving him more than enough cash to satisfy the Glazers’ $US4 billion valuation of the club last year.
Musk has a history of making irreverent tweets and statements, so it’s unclear whether he’s serious about pursuing a transaction or whether he’s kidding.
“Next I’m going to purchase Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in,” Musk tweeted on April 27, two days after Twitter’s board accepted his unsolicited buyout bid. Musk is presently attempting to back out of a $44 billion deal to purchase the social networking business Twitter, which has landed him in court.
Musk’s tweets on possible acquisitions have already placed him in hot water with US regulators.
In 2018, he claimed that “financing was secured” for a $72 billion proposal to take Tesla private, although he never made an offer. Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million in civil fines, and Musk stood down as Tesla’s chairman to settle SEC charges that Musk deceived investors.
Musk’s objectives span from colonizing Mars to establishing a new sustainable energy economy, and in the process he has developed the world’s most valuable auto company, Tesla, rocket company SpaceX, and a bevy of smaller enterprises. The Boring Company is one such company.
Forbes estimates his net worth to be $270 billion.