Elon Musk could risk breaking a longstanding “golden rule” in football if he were to follow through on his reported interest in buying Liverpool instead of Manchester United.
Musk’s father, Errol, recently revealed that his son has expressed interest in acquiring the Merseyside club, currently owned by Fenway Sports Group (FSG) since 2010. While FSG has explored external investment options, a full sale of the club is not currently on the agenda. Despite this, Errol Musk’s comments have sparked a flurry of speculation about the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s potential move into football ownership.
In an interview with Times Radio, Errol Musk hinted at his son’s interest in Liverpool, stating, “I can’t comment on that. They’ll raise the price.” When asked more directly about the possibility of Elon buying Liverpool, Errol confirmed, “Oh, yes. But that doesn’t mean he’s buying it. He would like to, yes, obviously. Anybody would want to – so would I.”
The Musk family’s connection to Liverpool is rooted in history, with Errol revealing that Elon’s grandmother was born in the city, and they have distant relatives there. Additionally, he mentioned that the Musk family had personal ties to The Beatles, adding to the family’s sentimental attachment to the region. Despite this, Elon Musk has supported rival club Manchester United his entire life, and his allegiance to the Red Devils is well-known.
In 2022, Musk jokingly claimed on Twitter—before acquiring the social media platform and rebranding it as X—that he was “buying” Manchester United from the Glazer family. In a separate post, he stated, “If it were any team, it would be Man U. They were my fav team as a kid.” Given Musk’s history as a devoted United fan, the idea of him purchasing Liverpool, a club with one of the fiercest rivalries in English football with United, would be highly controversial.
Such a move would be unprecedented, with only a handful of players ever having switched sides between the two clubs—12 in total—and no business transactions between them since 1964. The two clubs share a deep-rooted rivalry, and both sets of supporters would likely meet any attempt to bridge the divide with skepticism and potential backlash.
Forbes recently ranked Liverpool as the fourth most valuable football club globally, with an estimated worth of £4.3 billion. This represents just over one percent of Musk’s vast net worth, which stands at approximately £343 billion.
While FSG has faced criticism from some Liverpool fans regarding their level of investment in the team, the club is currently riding high in both the Premier League and the Champions League, with few complaints from the fanbase. Despite the current on-field success, the prospect of Musk’s involvement in the Liverpool takeover has added a fresh layer of intrigue to the future of the club.
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