I was Britain's richest ex-footballer and could've bought Man United for £11.5m

Dave Whelan's modest career saw him turn out for Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra during his playing days - but decades on, the businessman boasts a net worth of over £160million

Dave Whelan was worth more than ex-Manchester United star David Beckham at the peak of his ownership with Wigan Athletic - and he could've skyrocketed financially had he bought the Red Devils as planned.

Whelan was the chairman and owner of the current League One club for two decades, guiding them to a Premier League stay of eight years - which also included a dramatic FA Cup final win against Manchester City in 2013. While the 88-year-old is no longer involved in the sport he held close to his heart, Whelan was and is considered a huge figure of wealth in British sport.

In 2011, when ex-United star Beckham was plying his trade for LA Galaxy, Whelan was officially recognised as the richest Brit still involved with football ahead of the former England captain. He'd made his millions after the conclusion of a modest playing career with Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra, initially setting up his own supermarket chain after a background on the markets.

As per the Sunday Times Sport Rich List, Whelan boasted an astonishing net worth estimated in the region of £190million. At the time, Beckham's own wealth was approximately £135m, so the former Rovers left-back was well in front in terms of his own millions.

Nowadays, Whelan's net worth is estimated to be upwards of £162m - an impressive feat considering he no longer rolls around the sporting world as frequently as he used to, although Beckham is now out in front with in excess of £450m to his name. The ex-JJB-Sports owner could've turned his multi-million empire into a billionaire's dream, however, had he gone through with a comparatively small purchase in the 1980s.

It has been reported that Whelan had a relaxed agreement in place with United official Martin Edwards over a potential buyout of the club in the 80s, following talks with the hierarchy at Old Trafford. The businessman said: "I made the wrong decision in regards to Manchester United, because it is interesting to see what has happened since.

"The purchase of Manchester United was all sorted with Martin Edwards and was going to be sealed within 28 days."

However, Whelan went home and told his wife about the potential purchase, and her reservations regarding his success with JJB Sports ended up changing his mind. He continued: "Later I went home and said to my wife Patricia that I’d pulled off a good deal to buy Manchester United - £11.5m was a lot of money then. She said ‘what?'

"I was in JJB and expanding so she said, 'do you think all the people in London, Liverpool, Birmingham will come and shop at your stores when you own Manchester United – the greatest enemy the teams they support have?'"

Whelan added: "I said 'you might have a point!' So instead I went back to Martin Edwards and Manchester United and said the deal is done but told him that if he floated Manchester United on the stock market, he would get a lot more than £11.5m."

This decision might have been the miss of the century, given that United are now valued at a whopping £5.2bn, as per Forbes, under the co-ownership of the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The latter acquired a 25% stake in February 2024, with his INEOS team taking control of football operations.

However, if Whelan had made the splash in the 1980s and bought the club for £11.5m - equivalent to roughly £50m in today's money - his and United's future may well have looked very different.