Messi, Ronaldo, Serena, Novak: What sport stars dodging retirement tells us Sport Business Sport heroes used to retire at the top but now the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Serena and Djokovic have other ideas, writes Matt Readman. Sport is nothing if not storytelling. And every athlete wants the perfect ending to their own story. The crowning moment. The final wave to the crowd. Departing with dignity on your [...]
Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final shirts smash records in auction Sport Business Paris Saint-Germain have another title to add to their collection after successfully defending the Champions League: the undisputed hottest property for collectors of match worn shirts and other sports memorabilia. Some of the signed PSG jerseys worn by star players in their Champions League final win over Arsenal last month went under the hammer on [...]
Sovereignty has replaced ownership as the real currency of power in football Sport Business The City AM Football Power List illustrates the shifting sands of the sport ahead of the 2026 World Cup, writes one of its judges, Amar Singh. We are days away from a truly super-sized Fifa World Cup – 48 teams, three host nations, and a tournament that will be watched by more people than any [...]
Fifa boss Infantino pips PSG chief Al-Khelaifi in City AM Football Power List June 4, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has topped the inaugural City AM Football Power List, a week before the biggest ever men’s World Cup is due to kick off. The ranking, compiled with a 16-strong panel of expert judges drawn from across the sports industry, is designed to be a snapshot of who controls the most popular [...]
City AM Football Power List 2026: Who really runs the world’s most popular sport? June 4, 2026 The City AM Football Power List seeks to answer a simple question: ahead of the 2026 World Cup, who really runs the planet’s favourite sport? To answer it, we assembled a panel of experts from across the sports industry and picked their brains for nominations and, ultimately, a top 25. You can read more about [...]
Ronaldo becomes shareholder in broadcaster ahead of World Cup May 14, 2026 Cristiano Ronaldo has become a shareholder in a sports broadcasting company ahead of this summer’s Fifa World Cup. The Portuguese footballer has invested in Brazil-based LiveMode and will become a strategic partner. His stake will be focused on a newly-formed operating group that will grow the Brazilian brand outside of South America. The striker said: [...]
Aston Villa facing Premier League scrutiny over £55m Warehouse sale April 22, 2026 Aston Villa’s latest accounting manoeuvre – selling “The Warehouse” to the club’s owners for £55m – is yet to be signed off by the Premier League. Some top-flight clubs have avoided breaching spending rules in recent years by selling their stadiums and women’s teams to companies within the same ownership group. In a new twist, [...]
Why Messi taking 100 per cent stake in UE Cornella matters April 17, 2026 Lionel Messi’s purchase of Spanish fifth-tier side UE Cornella represents a broader trend of players seeing football assets as long-term investment opportunities, top football finance experts have said. The Argentinian, who will be heading to the Fifa World Cup this year looking to defend the title he won in Qatar, will own 100 per cent [...]
Woods to McIlroy: How Tiger Slam at Masters reshaped economics of sport April 7, 2026 Ahead of the Masters, Nick Keller marks 25 years since Tiger Woods won the Tiger Slam and sports consumption changed forever. When Tiger Woods completed the ‘Tiger Slam’ in 2001 – holding all four major championships at once – it wasn’t just a sporting achievement. It was a cultural marker for how modern sport would [...]
LeBron, McIlroy, Ronaldo in $575m Whoop raise at $10bn valuation March 31, 2026 LeBron James, Rory McIlroy and Cristiano Ronaldo are among a group of athletes part of a $575m raise that values wearable technology firm Whoop at $10.1bn. The Series G funding round, raising over $500m, is led by the likes of the Audi Formula 1 investors Qatar Investment Authority and Saudi Aramco Oil Pipelines stakeholders the [...]