Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú is among the top three richest men in the world. Recently, he’s been quietly but actively bidding in Mexico’s historic oil auction. While this is undoubtedly high up on his to-do list, he’s also taken up a new interest – Atlético de Madrid’s stadium project. Slim will have a hand in remodeling La Peineta, el próximo estadio rojiblanco, and could invest between 150 and 170 million euros in order to ensure that the stadium is ready for elite use by 2017. The man must really love his fútbol.
Slim is the majority shareholder of FCC, the construction company in charge of taking over for Martinsa after the latter found themselves unable to complete the project in light of the bursting Spanish construction bubble in 2008. A whopping investment in Alteti’s stadium project wouldn’t be his first foray into fútbol, or even Spanish fútbol for that matter; in September 2012, Slim purchased a 30 percent share in Pachuca and León through his telecommunications company América Móvil, and proceeded to invest 2.5 million in Spanish side Real Oviedo the following month.
Despite his intentions to help with the remodeling of Los Colchoneros’ home pitch, reports state that Slim will not purchase a stake in the club. However, given the fact that Wang Jianlin – 20 percent shareholder and the man with the greatest hand in the club at the moment – has suffered nearly 3 billion euros worth of losses following the fall of the Chinese stock market, this might change.