How to Make $1 Billion, Buy a Football Club and Lose Most of It

There was a buzz when Farhad Moshiri arrived at Everton FC. To fans, he led the stereotypical life of a wealthy owner with an expensive hobby. He travelled by train from London and mixed with them before games, but as a Monaco resident he was also a regular user of a private jet. Moshiri had the perfect ingredients: passion for football and money to spend.

Spin forward eight years, and the British-Iranian investor is leaving the Premier League club after burning through about $1 billion. Instead of a legacy of success, Everton turned into a byword for dysfunctionality.

Moshiri arrives for Everton’s league match against Arsenal in Liverpool in 2019. The early days of his ownership were full of hope.

Photographer: Lynne Cameron/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

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