Sheikh Mansour ibn Zayed Al Nahyan

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Sheikh Mansour ibn Zayed Al Nahyan, 2014.

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Sheikh Mansour ibn Zayed Al Nahyanis a senior member of the Nahyan dynasty of Abu Dhabi emirate, a constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates, and one of his country’s foremost businessmen. He also served as one of the chief advisers to the president of the United Arab Emirates (as chairman of the president’s office [1997–2004] and as minister of presidential affairs [2004– ]). He is well known internationally for his investments in professional football (soccer), most notably for his purchase and chairmanship of Manchester City FC.

Mansour was a son of Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate (1966–2004) and as president of the United Arab Emirates (1971–2004). His brother Khalifa became ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates in 2004, and Mohamed, another one of his brothers, became crown prince of Abu Dhabi in 2004 and the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates in 2014.

Mansour became known primarily for his affairs within the domain of finance. He chaired several of Abu Dhabi’s financial entities, including the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the First Gulf Bank (now part of First Abu Dhabi Bank), and the International Petroleum Investment Company (now part of Mubadala Investment Company). In addition, he served on the board of many other such entities, including the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs. Prolific in investing outside the United Arab Emirates, Mansour is perhaps best known for his ventures into professional football (soccer) abroad. Through his own investment vehicle, Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, he bought a controlling share of Manchester City FC in 2008. In the following years the club rapidly became one of the most successful in the Premier League. In 2013 Mansour became the primary investor in New York City FC, an expansion franchise of Major League Soccer established that same year. He later purchased shares in many other clubs around the world, including majority stakes in Melbourne City FC (2014) and Mumbai City FC (2019).

Mansour enjoyed a quiet but significant role in Emirati public policy as well. Apart from serving as a gatekeeper to the president and having the president’s ear in his capacity as minister of presidential affairs, he headed the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, which began overseeing the emirate’s judicial system in 2006. As a son-in-law of Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al Maktoum—one of the country’s most prominent developers and, from 2006, the ruler of Dubai emirate and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates—Mansour could also extend his clout into the country’s second most powerful emirate. In 2009 he was made deputy to Mohammed ibn Rashid in the latter’s capacity as prime minister. However, aside from the occasional public meeting with other officials and foreign dignitaries, Mansour’s activity in the country’s political affairs remained largely outside the public eye.