Julio Iglesias, Amancio Ortega, Florentino Perez… | Relief
Sports and money always go hand in hand. Every year, sports institutions and associated figures increase their income exponentially with new and increasingly large television contracts, sponsorships that never stop growing, and social media that increases income for all organizations and people associated with sports.
A circumstance that implies a constant connection between sport and the great destinies of the world. At the same time, the publication Actualidad Económica revealed list of 200 peopleor families, the richest in Spain, among whom are famous national sports figures such as Florentino PerezPresident of Real Madrid or Rafael Nadalwinner of 22 Grand Slam titles, and controversy over his figure is growing due to his recent business dealings with Saudi Arabia.
But they are not the only ones with a strong connection to the sport. Many others like it Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex, Botín family, main shareholders of Banco Santander or Julio Iglesias They have their own investments in sports. On the other hand, important Spanish brands such as Mahou or Estrella Galicia have invested heavily in various disciplines as sponsors.
Horse riding is one of the favorite sports among the rich
One of the sports in which the largest fortunes are invested in our country is horse riding, one of the most elite disciplines. The first of them is the richest man in Spain, Amancio Ortega. The native of Arteixo (A Coruña) managed to bring one of the Longines Global Champions Tour events, the so-called “Formula 1 of horse racing”, to the family club Casas Novas, taking over the event from none other than New York.
For its part, the Entrecanales family, which owns Acciona, has also taken its first steps in the horse sector. One of the family members Daniel Entrecanales, a big fan of horse riding. He was President of the Ifema Madrid Horse Week, the most important event in Spain. “Horse riding is a truly equal sport,” he explained in an interview with Expansión.
Presidency of football and basketball teams
Another option that the rich choose to enter the sport is becoming president or buying large amounts of shares in various clubs. In the first case, the most prominent name is Florentino Perez. He The president of Real Madrid is one of the most recognizable faces of sport around the world. and his construction company ACS allows him to rank thirty-first.
Another family that has had the greatest influence is the Roig. They have two sports institutions in their name. The owners of Mercadona and Pamesa own Villarreal under the chairmanship Fernando Roig which is in 24th place, and Valencia Basket, owned by the elder brother of the family, Juan Roig, number 3 on the list. Moreover, a family project is an uplift Roig Arena where sports and entertainment events will be held, the opening is scheduled for the end of 2024. They also have Valencia Marathonorganized by the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, named after Fernando and Juan’s mother.
Julio Iglesias and his adventure in Miami
Number 82 on the list is one of the greatest artists in Spanish history. Julio Iglesias is the only singer featured in the ranking.. Although his past as a Real Madrid goalkeeper is well known, the Madrid singer co-founded the NBA franchise between 1959 and 1963.
After moving to the United States, Iglesias became friends with Ted Arison. founder of the Miami Heat franchise and it gave him 7%, although it could be higher. “At first I had 7 percent, but when Ted asked me over lunch with some good friends to be part of the NBA team that was to be created in Miami, he wanted me to have 25 or 30 percent. Because of friendship and my love for sports, I eventually became a member, but not as often as he wanted,” he admitted in an interview with Marca. An association that allows the composer to have three NBA rings under his belt.
Nadal and his business holding
Rafa Nadal entered the list in one of the last positions, being the 198th richest Spaniard with a fortune of 310 million euros. Tennis player goes hand in hand with Aspemirhis holding company the business it includes business in the Netflix series such as Soya Georgina or La Marchesa, restaurants, hotels, real estate and renewable energy.
Who is currently Jon Rahm is not on the list., despite his multi-million dollar contract with Saudi golf club LIV late last year. The Barrika player appears in the list makers’ forecasts as one of the potential new additions to next year’s list.