Born Michael James Wallace Ashley on the 9th September 1964 in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England, Mike is a businessman, best known to the world as the owner of the English soccer club Newcastle United, and founder of the sports merchandise retailer Sports Direct.
Have you ever wondered how rich Mike Ashley is, as of late 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Ashley’s wealth is as high as $2.7 billion, an amount earned through his successful career, which has been active since the early ‘80s.
Mike Ashley Net Worth $2.7 Billion
Mike grew up in his hometown and went to Burnham Grammar School, however, he dropped out of high school when he was 16 years old. He became a squash player and reached county level, before suffering a career ending injury. Nevertheless, he stayed involved in the sport for some time as a county-level coach, before opening his first sport and ski shop in Maidenhead. He borrowed £10,000 from his family, and subsequently opened several other stores in the London area.
In no time, his business progressed by such a measure that in the late ‘90s he had 100 stores across the UK. He rebranded the company name several times, naming it Sports Soccer, and later Sports Direct. The company went public in 2006, and made its debut on the UK stock exchange on 27th February 2007. He has since expanded his company to Slovenia, Belgium, Ireland as well as around Britain. He has acquired several prestigious sportswear brands including Donnay, Lonsdale, Kangol, and also made deals with Umbro, JJB Sports, and Blacks Leisure Group, all of which have raised his business profile as well as his net worth..
He owns 100% of the soccer club Newcastle United, which currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English soccer. However, he had hard times with the club, since it spent several seasons in the lower Championship league under his ownership, which earned him a bad reputation among the fans of the club. However, he has managed to rebuild the team, but according to his statements, he is now looking for a buyer.
In addition to Newcastle United, he also owned a small stake in the Scottish soccer club, Rangers from 2014 until 2017 when he sold his stake to Club 1872 and Julian Wolhardt.
Regarding his personal life, Mike was married to Linda Jerlmyr from 1998 until 2003, although according to their statements, the two are again together, even their divorce included one of the biggest settlements in British legal history; Mike gave Linda their home, and property and assets worth £50m. Regardless, they have three children.
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