Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Cost-Cutting Confession…
In a twist as dazzling as Sir Alex’s trophy cabinet, Sir Jim Ratcliffe spilled the beans on the eyebrow-raising chat that convinced the Man United legend to hang up his ambassadorial cloak. The club decided to halt Sir Alex’s whopping £2-million-a-year paycheck, leaving Ratcliffe to deliver the news. Picture it: the ultimate power meeting, two knights, one tough conversation.
Sir Jim confessed to The Times about their chat. “I take my hat off to Alex,” he began. It sounds like a scene straight out of a football soap opera. Sir Jim went on, “The club’s emptying its pockets faster than a fan at the United megastore – tough times! I left it with him, and after ghosting me for three days, he came back and said, ‘Fine, I’ll step away. My decision.’ What a champ!” A grumpy start led to a selfless act – classic Sir Alex!
To add a cherry on this cost-cutting cake, Sir Jim and his company INEOS have had a bumpy start as United’s majority stakeholders. With a whirlwind of redundancies and high-profile departures including manager Erik ten Hag, Ratcliffe’s first year has been more dramatic than a last-minute penalty in stoppage time!