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How a Billionaire Heiress Cracked the Premier League Boys Club

Katharina Liebherr, the only female owner in the English Premier League, orchestrated the most successful EPL season for once-struggling Southampton.

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By Danielle Rossingh and David De Jong

June 17, 2015 at 11:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The English Premier League, a playground for billionaires—male billionaires—lures owners from around the globe. Russian Roman Abramovich controls Chelsea, which in May clinched its fourth EPL title in 10 years. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, owns No. 2 Manchester City. Americans control five of the league’s 20 teams, including fabled Manchester United and its hated rival, Liverpool.

These men clash in the world’s richest soccer league, as Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its July/August special Rivarly issue. Abramovich’s Chelsea broke the British record in 2011, paying £50 million ($78 million) to lure striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool, controlled by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry. Club nicknames—Gunners, Hammers, Spurs (as in the blades fighting cocks wear to stab opponents)—proclaim testosterone-infused ambitions.