5 World Football Owners Who Are Bigger Than Their Clubs

A time-worn proverb tells us that no man is bigger than the club.

The proverb clearly didn't know about these guys.

In modern football, billionaire owners are becoming the new normal. And with all their money, power and influence, the owners are becoming celebrities.

These are five of the most notorious. Or, if you're a fan of one of these clubs, they might be five of the best.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family, bought Spanish club Málaga for a reported $44 million in June 2010. He quickly took over as club president and set about transforming the team's fortunes.

The Sheikh brought in Jesualdo Ferreira as manager, but then sacked him after 10 disappointing games in charge. Manuel Pellegrino took over and guided Málaga out of the relegation zone to an 11th-place finish.

Al-Thani also financed transfers for Julio Baptista, Enzo Maresca, Martin Demichelis, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Joris Mathijsen. With their new high-priced roster, Málaga are currently fifth in La Liga.

Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

In 2008, the Abu Dhabi United Group bought Manchester City from UK Sports Investments Limited (UKSIL), which is controlled by former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. ADUG is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

City's new era has brought an unprecedented level of success—thanks, in overwhelming part, to an infusion of cash. Immediately after the ADUG takeover, City broke the British transfer record with the £32.5 million signing of Robinho.

Since then they've spent large sums on Carlos Tevez, Sergio Agüero and others. Roberto Mancini replaced the sacked Mark Hughes as manager in 2009, and City's new-look team rewarded their owner with an FA Cup triumph in 2011.

This season, Mancini and City are one point behind Manchester United atop the English Premier League table.

Qatar Investment Authority

Noticing a pattern here?

In 2010, Qatar Investment Authority bought a controlling stake in French club Paris Saint-Germain from American company Colon Capital. Billionaire Nasser Al-Khelaifi now serves as club chairman.

The new-look PSG quickly splashed some cash, spending a reported £37 million on Argentine attacker Javier Pastore in the summer of 2011.

That could be only the beginning. A recent report by Mirror Football says Al-Khelaifi wants to spend hundreds of Euros over the coming seasons.

Suleyman Kerimov

Anzhi Makhachkala was founded in 1991. Twenty years later, Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov bought the club.

Kerimov quickly put his stamp on the club, signing Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o and making him one of the world's best-paid players.

Celebrity manager Guus Hiddink arrived in February 2012, and aging Brazilian star Roberto Carlos was named player-manager. Anzhi even reportedly (via ESPN) want to sign Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Roman Abramovich

None of the men on this list come close to matching the influence of Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich on Chelsea.

Abramovich took over the club in 2003 and quickly named Jose Mourinho manager. A spending spree followed in the summer of 2004, and Chelsea won their first title in 50 years the following spring.

Another title followed under Mourinho in 2005, followed by FA Cup titles in 2007 and 2009 (the latter under Guus Hiddink). Carlo Ancelotti led the Blues to the league and FA Cup double in 2010, but was sacked a year later.

And that might be Abramovich's calling card. Since taking over the club, the Russian has burned through seven managers.