Top 7 Celebrities Who Own Football Clubs
Celebrities who own football clubs are becoming a bigger part of the modern game. From Hollywood actors and music icons to global sports superstars, famous names are increasingly stepping into football ownership, not only for visibility but also for influence, long-term value and cultural reach. What makes these moves so interesting is that each one reveals a different reason for buying in. Those include community, brand expansion, personal loyalty or the belief that football still offers room to grow.
Matthew McConaughey – Austin FC
First on the list of celebrities who own football clubs is Matthew McConaughey, whose move into football ownership feels less like a celebrity crossover and more like a hometown project. In 2019, the Oscar-winning actor joined Austin FC’s ownership group as a minority investor as the club was preparing to enter MLS. The exact size of his stake and the fee paid were not disclosed publicly. What makes this story interesting is that Austin FC was never an established giant. It was a new club in a fast-growing city. This gave McConaughey the chance to help shape its identity from the start rather than simply attach himself to an existing institution. Since then, Austin FC have grown into one of the league’s most visible cultural brands, with McConaughey also becoming a highly recognisable face around the club and helping tie its image closely to the city itself.
Ryan Reynolds – Wrexham AFC
Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham story has become one of the clearest examples of celebrity ownership changing a football club’s trajectory. Together with Rob McElhenney, he completed the takeover in February 2021 in a deal widely reported at around $2.5 million, taking control of a historic club that had spent years outside the Football League. What followed was far bigger than a publicity move. Under their ownership, Wrexham won promotion from the National League in 2023, went up again from League Two in 2024 and then secured a third straight promotion in 2025 by reaching the Championship, becoming the first club to achieve three consecutive promotions across the top five tiers of English football.
The project has also grown off the pitch. The club’s popularity exploded through Welcome to Wrexham, an FX documentary series that follows Reynolds and McElhenney in their ownership of the club. The commercial income rose sharply and by 2025 Wrexham were spending at Championship level, with a summer transfer spending of around $40 million. Also, the club being valued at around $475 million as of today. What began as a lower-league rescue story has turned into one of football’s most remarkable growth projects.
Elton John – Watford FC
Elton John’s story is different from the others. It was rooted in genuine personal loyalty long before celebrities who own football clubs became fashionable. In 2025, Watford were marking 50 years since John became chairman in 1976. This happened during a period in which he helped lift the club from the fourth tier to a second-place finish in the top flight and an FA Cup final. He later sold the club in 1987, repurchased it in 1997 and eventually stepped down, remaining a defining figure in Watford’s identity. Public reporting does not consistently pin down a clear purchase figure in the way modern takeovers do, but the motivation is the clearest on this list. Elton John did not buy into football for trend value. He did it because Watford was his club.
Michael B. Jordan – AFC Bournemouth
Michael B. Jordan’s Bournemouth move brought a different kind of celebrity presence into the Premier League. In 2022, the actor joined the new ownership group as a minority investor after Bill Foley’s takeover of Bournemouth was approved, with wider reporting putting the overall deal at around £120 million. Unlike a legacy club bought for pure prestige, Bournemouth offered something else: a Premier League side with room to grow, a more intimate scale and the possibility of helping shape the club’s future rather than simply inheriting a giant institution. That makes Jordan’s involvement feel less symbolic and more like a growth bet.
LeBron James – Liverpool
LeBron James entered football ownership through Liverpool back in 2011, long before celebrity stakes in clubs became a broader trend. He acquired a minority interest in Liverpool through his partnership with Fenway Sports Management, although the size of the stake and the financial details were not disclosed publicly. The logic behind the move was commercial as much as sporting. Liverpool already had one of the biggest global fanbases in football, and James’ team was also working with Fenway on marketing and sponsorship opportunities. In other words, this was not a vanity play. It was an early recognition that football’s biggest clubs operate as worldwide brands as much as teams.
Ed Sheeran – Ipswich Town
In 2024, the English singer bought a 1.4 percent stake in his hometown club Ipswich Town. The exact fee paid is not public. What makes this story stand out is that Sheeran had already been closely tied to the club for years through sponsorship and visible support, so the investment felt like a natural extension of that relationship rather than a sudden celebrity play. Ipswich had just returned to the Premier League when he bought in. This gave the move extra momentum, even if the real value of his involvement lies more in identity and local connection than in a dramatic takeover story.
Snoop Dogg – Swansea City
Last on the list of celebrities who own football clubs is Snoop Dogg. The US rapper’s move into football ownership added another unexpected name to the growing crossover between celebrity culture and the game. In July 2025, the rapper became a co-owner of Swansea City. The financial details of his investment are not public. What makes the story interesting is that Swansea were not chasing glamour for its own sake. The club openly framed Snoop’s arrival as a way to raise its global profile, building on his huge audience and broader entertainment reach. In sporting terms, there has not yet been a dramatic turnaround to report. Swansea were still in the lower half of the Championship later that year. For now, this looks more like a visibility play than an instant football success story.
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