It's a hobby that only a select few can afford to try. For most of us, owning a Premier League football club is a forlorn dream. Not this lot. This eclectic bunch come in all shapes and sizes: An heiress, an oil baron, a printing mogul, a one-time blue movie producer, an Egyptian runaway,an online gambling pioneer and many, many more. They hail from the USA, Russia, China, Switzerland, Wales, Iran, Thailand and the Potteries and boast frankly incomprehensible wealth. Sportsmail examines the Premier League power brokers. The men and women whose money makes our football world go round.
Endless running, relentless shooting and beefed-up stars: The science behind how Pochettino has turned Tottenham into Premier League title contenders
Among their tactics, Tottenham are brilliant at knackering out their opponents and reading individual games. They have outrun the opposition in 71 of the Spurs manager's 83 league games in charge. They know when to squeeze, and when they have done enough in a game to ease off that exhausting grip. SAM CUNNINGHAM assesses how Mauricio Pochettino has revved them up.
Rashid stars but England face biggest ever chase to beat Bangladesh
'Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home?' New low for shamed Kyrgios as he makes no effort with serves and walks off court amid rows with fans and umpire
Nick Kyrgios' growing portfolio of moments of madness has a new addition after he exited the Shanghai Master in farcical circumstances on Wednesday. During a 6-3, 6-1 second round defeat by Mischa Zverev, the 21-year-old appeared to serve without making any effort, even walking off the court before his opponent had returned the ball. It comes only days after he fought back from a set down to beat David Goffin in the final of the Japan Open for the biggest win of his career to date.
My, how you've grown! Evra shows off transformation from skinny teen to muscle-bound football champion
Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra appears in a nostalgic mood after sharing a picture montage tracking his rise from skinny youth to title-winning champion. The 35 year-old, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League at Old Trafford before leaving for Juventus, posted the video, which is accompanied by the Louis Armstrong track ' What a Wonderful World ', on Instagram.
Just like Ronaldinho? Watch Spurs star Alli recreate his wonder goal for Barcelona against Chelsea (as he claims it is down to 'a little shimmy shimmy'!)
Dele Alli is arguably Tottenham and England's most highly-rated youngster and he's aiming high as he tries to follow in the footsteps on an iconic Brazil playmaker. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder, with help from Spurs team-mates Kyle Walker and Kevin Wimmer, attempted to recreate Ronaldinho's famous wonder strike for Barcelona against Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League last 16. The Brazilian wrong-footed three Chelsea defenders on the edge of the penalty area by waving his foot behind the ball, with many remarking upon how he appeared to 'dance' behind the ball before deftly placing it beyond Petr Cech and into the far corner.
'A pal stopped me leaping on the rail track as another stopped me jumping in the road': Read this incredibly moving interview with Martin Ling, the dressing-room joker forced to undergo electrotherapy
Martin Ling knew over lunch. He knew, as he glared at a plate of untouched food, that it was coming back and that's when the fear started. 'What if it's like last time?' he thought. 'Oh s***, why now? Oh f***, what if it's like last time?' He was sitting with the coach he had brought to Swindon Town, Ross Embleton, and the club's director of football, Seamus Brady. It was November 24, 2015, and the three of them had decided to get something to eat before the League One match against Walsall that night.
'Welcome to my personal museum': Chelsea striker Batshuayi 'shows off collection of TOYS... including Dragon Ball Z statue!
The Belgian loves cartoons but let his Instagram followers see just how much as he danced around what calls his 'personal museum' whilst wearing a snazzy pair of slippers featuring 'Grumpy' from the Seven Dwarfs. The exhibits were most collectable toys, either in a class cabinet or still in their original boxes, but the room was dominated by a life size character from popular anime cartoon Dragon Ball Z.
Liverpool stars looking sharp ahead of Manchester United clash as Klopp's men pose in new suits
NEW Footballers nowadays take huge pride in looking the part away from the pitch - and the Liverpool stars will certainly have no problem achieving the razor-sharp look this season. The Anfield outfit have renewed their partnership with Hugo Boss and to celebrate, the club have released imagery of the suits they will wear this season. And to model the new gear, seven Liverpool stars looked sharp as they posed for pictures in the German designer's grey three-piece suit.
Jesus and Willian seal win for Brazil despite stadium blackout in Merida
Brazil went top of the South American World Cup qualifying group with a 2-0 win over Venezuela in a match played in torrential rain and halted for almost half an hour when the floodlights failed in Merida. The five-times World Cup winners, who were without suspended Barcelona striker Neymar, took just eight minutes to open the scoring with a goal that mixed comedy and beauty.
Suarez strike not enough for Uruguay as late Mina header rescues point for Colombia
COLOMBIA 2-2 URUGUAY: Yerry Mina scored a late equaliser to earn Colombia a draw and a point against World Cup qualifying group leaders Uruguay in a thrilling encounter at the Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla. Luis Suarez had given the visitors the lead with 17 minutes remaining, after Abel Aguilar's 15th-minute opener was cancelled out by Cristian Rodriguez during the first half. But Mina restored parity for the hosts in the 84th minute after he steered a looping header over Fernando Muslera for his first international goal.
Welcome to the new Bernabeu: Real Madrid reveal £360m plans to redevelop their iconic stadium... with a retractable roof
Real Madrid will be adding a retractable roof to the Santiago Bernabeu after finally reaching an agreement with the city to remodel the stadium. Madrid president Florentino Perez said Tuesday the project will cost 400 million euros (£360million) and construction is expected to start next year. The revamped venue, which will also carry a new facade, is expected to be fully completed by 2020.
STARS OF SPORT
- My, how you've grown! Evra shows off transformation from skinny teen to muscle-bound football champion Posted the nostalgic video
- It's mad Michy! Chelsea striker Batshuayi shows off his dance moves and life-size Dragon Ball Z statue ' And his slippers are quite something too
- 'Can you call time so I can finish this match and go home?' New low for shamed Kyrgios as he makes no effort with serves and walks off Rowed with fans and umpire
- Alli recreates Ronaldinho's wonder goal against Chelsea and puts it down to 'a little shimmy shimmy' Trying to follow in the footsteps on the iconic Brazil playmaker
- Cech and Barry become record breakers... so why are the duo in the Guinness World Records book? They've been honoured
MORE STARS OF SPORT
- Mata ensures he smells the part by launching latest Loewe fragrance The United ace has taken a break from preparing for Liverpool
- The changing face of Rooney: View the England star's mixed emotions during draw The Manchester United man made a cameo appearance
- Martin Ling interview: 'A pal stopped me leaping on the rail track as another stopped me jumping in the road...' Read the manager's moving story
- Giggs left less than impressed after being transformed into a deer on Snapchat The Manchester United legend was a guest at the FAW Community Awards
- Sharapova makes her return to the tennis court for first time since positive drug test at Australian Open in Las Vegas charity event For Elton John AIDS Foundation
- Silly Suarez? Barcelona star gets clobbered in Uruguay training... after playing in goal Paid the price for his latest bout of enthusiasm
- Ronaldo finds time for a selfie as fan invades pitch during Portugal's 6-0 win over Faroe Islands Couldn't escape his adoring fans on the pitch
- Joshua goes to work on the speed ball before enjoying game of Risk with friends Waiting to see if Wladimir Klitschko bout will happen
- Fury poses with all his belts - on the day he is set to relinquish them Tyson Fury is set to undergo treatment for depression and the WBA and WBO are expected to strip Fury of his titles
- Henderson's rise and rise to become England captain: Liverpool star ready to take on burden after thriving under Klopp Gareth Southgate gave him the good news
- Murray fumes after tactical notes are revealed on TV STUART FRASER: Murray's management team have complained to the ATP tour
- Gray 'tears apart' Abraham as England Under-21 stars enjoy game of FIFA 17 Hot shot Tammy Abraham could not score on the video game
- Left out in the cold? Rooney DROPPED for Slovenia clash Gareth Southgate's captain will start on the bench in the World Cup qualifier
- Hummels and Germany stars train ahead of Northern Ireland contest Mats Hummels said Euro failure was driving Germany forward
- Record breaking Benteke: Striker scores fastest EVER World Cup goal in seven seconds He profited as Belgium thrashed Gibraltar by six goals on Monday
- A fitting tribute to Ali? Not according to the NFL Officials threatened to eject Antonio Brown from the game against the New York Jets
- Mourinho plays Guess the Player with his Manchester United stars and gives his first impressions of squad He was shown photos of his stars as kids
- Rooney axed: England captain dropped for Slovenia clash as stars fly out The England captain was booed by sections of Wembley during the win over Malta
- Pogba dances in the air while Depay rejects croissants as the United duo prepare to meet in international showdown preparing in their own unique ways
- Ancelotti claims it is 'easy' to follow Guardiola at Bayern Munich... and jokes he 'cannot control' his eyebrow! Quizzical look is not his fault
- Liverpool duo Coutinho and Firmino jet off with Brazil Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino have been in terrific form for Liverpool this season
- REVEALED: What a Manchester United contract looked like under Busby in 1965 United signed Pat Dunne from Shamrock Rovers for £10,500 in 1964
- Pique: There are people who think it's better if I'm not here Pique has announced that he will retire from Spain duty after the 2018 World Cup in Russia
- Valencia breaks his silence over child maintenance row The Everton striker stated he must 'honour his family as and professional image'
- Stop being Charlie Big B******* Neymar! Bolivia defender Yasmani Duk is refusing to apologise to Brazil star Neymar after elbowing him in the head
- 14-year-old wonderkid Mustafa Kapi handed debut by Galatasaray He only turned 14 in August and has already been likened to United superstar Paul Pogba
- Shoot, Aaron! Wales star Ramsey takes up new hobby with brother The Arsenal midfielder celebrated his brother Josh's birthday by going clay pigeon shooting
- Bisping beats Henderson to retain middleweight title at UFC 204 in Manchester Bisping got revenge on his old foe with a unanimous decision
- Jordi Cruyff believes iconic father Johan would be a Manchester City fan today Football legend Johan Cruyff sadly died of lung cancer in March this year
- Coleman warns kids about the big, bad world of football Irishman is now 27 and one of the senior players in Ronald Koeman's Everton team
- Hargreaves: A future watching the other guys get stuck in... I'll drink to that! Alistair Hargreaves on his decision to quit rugby due to fears for his health
- Zlatan masks up and insists he has 'no free time' Zlatan Ibrahimovic is keeping himself fit during the two week international break
- I want to earn respect! Bradley unveiled as Swansea's new boss Bob Bradley becomes the first American to take a job at a Premier League club
- Hollywood meets... Kane! Tottenham star and Wahlberg have a catch up The England striker is currently sidelined with an ankle injury
LATEST MATCH REPORTS
- Slovenia 0-0 England: Joe Hart saves England's blushes as Three Lions fail to roar in Ljubljana
- Slovakia 3-0 Scotland: Robert Mak double and Adam Nemec strike deepens pressure on Gordon Strachan
- Germany 2-0 Northern Ireland: Julian Draxler and Sami Khedira strike early to maintain perfect start
- England U21 5-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina U21: Tammy Abraham nets twice as Young Lions round off Euro 2017 qualification in style
- Holland 0-1 France: Paul Pogba thunderbolt fires Didier Deschamps' side to narrow win in Amsterdam
- Gibraltar 0-6 Belgium: Christian Benteke scores after SEVEN seconds on his way to hat-trick in romp
- Faroe Islands 0-6 Portugal: Andre Silva scores first-half hat-trick as European champions stroll to victory
- Wales 1-1 Georgia: Gareth Bale header not enough as Chris Coleman's side held to a draw as they maintain unbeaten start to World Cup qualification
- Moldova 1-3 Republic of Ireland: James McClean scores twice as Martin O'Neill's side move joint top of 2018 World Cup qualifying Group D with Serbia
- Albania 0-2 Spain: Diego Costa and Nolito take visitors top of World Cup qualifying Group G
- Macedonia 2-3 Italy: Ciro Immobile scores twice late on as Azzurri come from behind to get out of jail in Skopje
- England 2-0 Malta: Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli strike to fire Gareth Southgate to victory in his first game in charge over plucky minnows
- Scotland 1-1 Lithuania: Scots booed off despite sub James McArthur salvaging a point with last-gasp strike
- Northern Ireland 4-0 San Marino: Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty and Jamie Ward ensure Michael O'Neill's side beat 10-man opposition
- Slovenia 1-0 Slovakia: Substitute Rok Kronaveter scores winner with first touch to seal well-earned victory
FOOTBALL NEWS
Pogba has competition… South African players take dab craze to new heights by bringing out star's dance move mid-match
Paul Pogba may have popularised the dab celebration - but it seems the Manchester United star has competition when it comes to performing the dance move. The dab swiftly became a prominent goal celebration in football last season with the likes of Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku all showing off their take on it. But two South African players have taken the craze to new heights by performing the move mid-match.
Inside Ronaldo's hotel: Real Madrid star's venture promises the 'true CR7 lifestyle'
At the launch of his new flagship hotel last week, Cristiano Ronaldo told his assembled, selected group of friends, family and guests: ‘When I was young I had the dream of having my own hotel.’ It might sound an unusual ambition for a young footballer but Ronaldo has rarely taken the ‘usual’ route — and this latest venture is in every way a reflection of that. With a look to life after football, the Real Madrid superstar’s second hotel ‘Pestana CR7 Lisboa’ promises to offer ‘a true CR7 lifestyle’ and marks of his ego are sprinkled throughout.
United star Mata gets over Spain snub by launching latest fragrance ahead of Liverpool clash
Juan Mata has had some time to kill after being overlooked by Julen Lopetegui for Spain's World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Albania. The playmaker was at the Indulge Fragrance Store at the intu Trafford Centre to help promote Loewe, a Spanish fragrance company. Mata is an ambassador for Loewe and was at the store to talk about their new scent Loewe001 as he met United supporters and signed autographs.
Cech and Barry honoured in 2017 Guinness Book of World Records... but why do Leicester City make the cut?
Premier League stalwarts Petr Cech and Gareth Barry are among the stars of the sporting world honoured in the new edition of the Guinness World Records book. Arsenal goalkeeper Cech takes his place among the weird and wonderful records in the newest edition of the legendary publication thanks to his 181 Premier League clean sheets - the most of any goalkeeper. Barry, meanwhile, has started the most Premier League games of any player - an incredible 580 to date - during his time at Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton.
Return of Chamakh! Former Arsenal striker becomes Warnock's third free transfer in 24 hours... as he shows off new shaved head
Cardiff have announced they have agreed a short term deal with former Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh. The Moroccan has signed with the Championship club until January and could earn a long-term contract based on his performances at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Draxler and Khedira strikes earn Germany comfortable win over Northern Ireland
CHRIS WHEELER IN HANNOVER: Julian Draxler and Sami Khedira scored in the first 17 minutes of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier as Germany maintained their perfect start in Group C.
OTHER SPORTS NEWS
One final picture with them, Tyson? Shamed heavyweight champion poses next to his belts as he gets ready to relinquish them
JEFF POWELL: Tyson Fury took what is likely to be a last, lingering look on Tuesday at the world heavyweight championship belts he is believed to be in the throes of relinquishing as treatment for clinical depression prolongs his absence from the ring. Manchester’s Gypsy King, having pulled out of his contracted rematch with Wladimir Klitschko twice in the 11 months since his upset triumph in Germany, hopes to be declared champion in recess by the WBA and WBO, whose belts feature in his collection. That is more certain if he stands down, rather being stripped of his titles, and would position him to challenge for the belts as soon as he is declared fit to box again.
PAUL O'CONNELL EXCLUSIVE: I fear for the Lions but rugby is all about money now... and Itoje must face the All Blacks
CHRIS FOY- EXCLUSIVE: Paul O'Connell fears that financial priorities in rugby may soon leave the British and Irish Lions an endangered species. Ireland’s retired lock colossus went on three tours, so he knows better than most how those epic ventures to the Southern Hemisphere are still regarded as career peaks for all those involved from the home nations. His concern is that the modern-day focus on the bottom line could threaten the whole concept.
Edmund beaten in Shanghai Masters but earns praise from Wawrinka
Kyle Edmund could do little to combat the big hitting of Stan Wawrinka as the Brit bowed out in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters. US Open champion Wawrinka had pulled out of last week's Japan Open with a bad back but showed no sign of any ill effects in his 6-3, 6-4 victory on Wednesday.
RACING
THE BEST WRITING IN SPORT
SPECIAL REPORT: How Abramovich assembled a crack team to get Chelsea back to the top... with transfer hitlist, plan to match United's commercial power and demand to finally play kids
SPECIAL REPORT BY MIKE KEEGAN:Things have changed down the King’s Road. They have had to. When he arrived in 2003, nobody could come close to matching Roman Abramovich’s millions and the Russian, aided by Jose Mourinho, bankrolled almost instant success. Now, such sprees are a thing of the past thanks to Financial Fair Play, and Abramovich is seeking an alternative route back to the very top of the pile.