Ed Sheeran, David Beckham & Tom Brady’s wealth compared | OneFootball

There are plenty of high-net-worth A-list celebrities investing money in English football

There was once a time when investing in football clubs was the preserve of local businesspeople who made their millions a stone’s throw from the stadium.

But now, as global interest in football grows, the great and the good of the world’s sports and entertainment industry are looking for ways into the sport, and often the prices involved in buying a chunk of a Premier League club are prohibitively high.

It’s led to a number of stars getting involved with clubs in the Football League, such as Ed Sheeran, David Beckham and Tom Brady, to name just a few notable examples.

Here, Football League World looks at the riches that sit behind those with an interest in lower-league teams…

Ed Sheeran (Ipswich Town)

Ed Sheeran is never far away from the charts, both in the UK and around the world, and tours his albums in sold-out arena shows in every corner of the globe.

He is also, as luck would have it for Ipswich Town, a lifelong Tractor Boys fan, having grown up in Suffolk before making it big.

He acquired a 1.4 per cent stake in the club in the summer of 2024, having been the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor since 2021, advertising his latest album.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Sheeran is worth a whopping £370m; more than enough to chip in for a Liam Delap replacement.

Sadly, however, it was announced when he took the stake that his investment is only “passive and minority”, so the club are unlikely to have access to a significant portion of his worth.

But the songwriter has three shows at Portman Road pencilled in, which should turn a good profit during the off-season.

David Beckham (Salford City)

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham’s primary football investment is Inter Miami, the MLS franchise he created and controls, which currently houses stars like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

But he has recently reaffirmed his commitment to the ever-so-slightly less glitzy Salford City of League Two.

Beckham was one of the Class of 92, along with Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who invested in the Ammies, managing to lift them out of non-league football.

In a changing of the guard, Beckham and Gary Neville fronted a new consortium in May, which bought out the other former owners.

“I'm so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate as we begin the next chapter of Salford's journey,” Beckham told his Instagram followers.

Beckham is married to former Spice Girls member Victoria, and together they are estimated by the Sunday Times to be worth £500m.

Plus, unlike Sheeran, given Beckham’s prominent role in the consortium, his wealth may have more of a direct impact on action at the Peninsula Stadium.

Tom Brady (Birmingham City)

Birmingham City are scarcely recognisable since Knighthead Capital took over the club in 2023.

While they may have dropped down and jumped back up from the third tier in that time, the club managed to poach Jay Stansfield from the Premier League and are drawing up plans for a revolutionary campus to rival the likes of the Etihad Campus built by Manchester City.

In among all that excitement, they also had NFL legend Tom Brady dropping into local pubs to greet fans, in a turn of events few would have seen coming years earlier.

Brady’s presence in The Roost pub near St Andrew’s is explained by his 3.3 per cent stake in the club, acquired around the same time as Knighthead came in.

According to estimates by Celebrity Net Worth, Brady is worth around $300m, similar to that of Sheeran and, sadly for Birmingham fans, his influence is also likely to be similar to the singer’s too.