Rory McIlroy has made no secret of his love for Manchester United throughout a golf career that suffered a low at the US Open earlier this month. The four-time major winner has previously indicated that he would be interested in adding his beloved club to his investments elsewhere in the sporting world.
McIlroy will still be licking his wounds after squandering a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau with five holes to play at Pinehurst No. 2.
The Northern Irishman’s late collapse included two short-range misses on the putting green, two inside of four feet across the final three holes.
Away from his decade-long hunt for a fifth piece of major silverware, McIlroy will be as excited as other United supporters for the club’s new era under INEOS’ stewardship.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his £1.3billion investment in February, securing a 27.7 per cent stake and inheriting total control over football operations.
Months earlier, as Ratcliffe emerged as the Glazer family’s preferred bidder, McIlroy admitted he would be keen to purchase a stake at Old Trafford.
“I would love to be able to own a tiny percentage of the club I grew up cheering on as a boy,” McIlroy explained at the United States Grand Prix in October 2023.
“I would have loved to have taken 0.00001 per cent of Manchester United when Jim Ratcliffe took 25 per cent.
“And if another opportunity comes my way, I will look at it. But it is not something that has come across our table as of yet.”
McIlroy also revealed that he had been approached to become a shareholder at the Red Devils’ bitter rivals, Leeds United.
Fellow golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are part of the 49ers Group that now owns the Elland Road outfit, but he unsurprisingly rejected the opportunity.
He added: “There is Tom Brady at Birmingham, and there are a few golfers – Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas – who invested with the 49ers Group, and they own a tiny slice of Leeds.
“They asked me if I wanted to come on board, and I said, as a Man United fan, I cannot go anywhere near that!
“Sir Jim has got a great track record, and everybody that does support United should be excited by the possibilities if they give him full sporting authority and decisions for the club. As a fan, I am excited.”
Last year, McIlroy acquired a stake in F1 team Alpine as part of a £173million strategic investment led by consortium Otro Capital.
Boxing superstar Anthony Joshua and footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata joined the former world No. 1 in investing.
Should the opportunity to join Ratcliffe’s project at United arise, it would surely be too enticing an opportunity for McIlroy to ignore.
