Manchester United Make Their First Winter Signing
In the first signing of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era, Manchester United have pulled off a huge coup. Ratcliffe has successfully lured away Manchester City executive Omar Berrada. He may not be the next young phenom or the striker that manager Erik ten Hag so desperately needs. However, he may still be the best signing United fans could have asked for during the January transfer window.
Both United and City have confirmed he is going to be the new Red Devils CEO. This deal has me smiling from ear to ear. Not only does he have the right CV for the job he was Manchester City’s Chief Football Operations Officer. Meaning Ratcliffe has just poached one of City’s preeminent heavy hitters.
Ratcliffe hired someone with a lot of experience and a great reputation. He has done it less than a month after the confirmation of his incoming ownership. And before he can even take his position. Best of all he did it by stealing one of the most integral executives in the Manchester City machine.
I am not only surprised that he wanted to come to Manchester United, I am impressed that Ratcliffe got the deal done so quickly. No one saw this coming. Most of the commentary in the media was that Jean-Claud Blanc was going to take over as CEO. This deal almost manifested overnight. Which is exactly how you want to see business run at an elite football club.
So far Sir Jim appears to be holding up to his promises.
Who is Omar Berrada?
Omar Berrada is an elite level football executive. He is fluent is four languages, and has lived in multiple countries across the world. His resume boasts time as an executive at both Barcelona and Manchester City. In addition to his club rolls he has had governing rolls with the European Clubs Association and the FA Women’s Super League Board.
The Paris born Moroccan has twenty years of accumulated football management knowledge. We couldn’t have asked for a more experienced CEO.
He made his name in football working at Barcelona for eight years starting in 2004. In that time he held positions as senior media and business development manager, and head of sponsorship.
In 2011 he left Barcelona to join Manchester City, marking the first of several Barcelona officials to leave for City. There he initially started as the head of international business development. He was quickly promoted to senior vice president and commercial director of the entire City Football Group.
In 2016 he was appointed the Chief Operating Officer of City Football Group, where he stayed until he left for United. In that position he was in charge of all football operations for the entire City Group, including Manchester City, as well as more than 100 other teams from eleven other clubs that are all part of CFG.
The Omar Berrada Highlight Reel
Berrada has been a heavy hitter in football executive management for two of the biggest and most influential clubs in the world. While in Spain he brokered deals for Barcelona with UNICEF, Nike and the Qatar foundation, just to name a few.
His marketing and sponsorship deals saw Barcelona enter the most financially prosperous period in the Catalan clubs history.
Once moving to CFG he immediately became an driving influence in the recruitment of Pep Guardiola. He is also credited with countless player signings including, Sergio Aguero, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez, Ruben Dias and Kevin De Bruyne. He was also a senior figure in brokering all of City’s current sponsor deals.
What’s more, Berrada was behind City’s now thriving youth academy. Which has recently produced stars like Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho. Through his rolls within the FA Women’s Super League, Berrada is also credited with the development and success of the Manchester City Women’s team. A team which currently sits in 2nd place in the Women’s Super League, only 3 points off of 1st Chelsea, and 8 points ahead of Manchester United Women.
Berrada’s Football Philosophies
If Berrada’s CV fails to impress you, here are some of his quotes that show his philosophies in football management.
“It (winning 5 titles in 10 years at MC) is a result of a vision that the ownership had 12 years ago – to develop a strong academy, to develop a specific way of playing football and to bring the right manager for that type of football. We also need to bring in the right players for that.”
“It is a combination of everything (squad building) plus all the work that goes on behind the scenes concerning injury management and prevention and working with the coaching staff to ensure player rotation so that all players can hit peak form at the right time.”
“Players with an infinite mindset want to leave their organizations in better shape then they found them.”
“It always has been about finding the right squad balance between young players, players who are at their peak and players who can bring more experience. It has not been about investing in superstars, we like to find the right players and with time they become superstars because of the success of the team. It’s about ensuring that we find players that can adapt to our style of play, believe in our culture in place and then buy into it.”
“We spend smartly, we have a clear plan, we are not reactive to certain situations, we have a very clear idea of what the valuation is for every player, we’ve said and I think it has been demonstrated that when we think a deal doesn’t make sense we walk away from it.”
Fabrizio Romano on Omar Berrada
The god of sports journalism, Fabrizio Romano has also had his say on Manchester United’s appointment of Berrada as CEO. Romano, who is a football exclusive guru believes that Berrada is precisely the man for the job at Untied. Here are a few of his quotes about the new Red Devils boss while speaking to The United Stand.
“Omar Berrada knows how to create something special. His model and vision is so important for Manchester United. He already has the experience...He will help with the vision for the present and future.”
“Berrada knows that you (players) have to perform, otherwise in 1-2 years, you have to leave the club. Players who stay at Manchester United for 3-4 years and never leave the club, is something unacceptable and won’t happen with the new board.”
Almost anyone who speaks about Berrada remarks on his understanding of how football and business relate. He is described as having an uncanny ability to so see how both sport and enterprise can thrive off of each other rather than take from each other. And most importantly he is noted has having a holistic approach to running a football enterprise. Each aspect of the club, from management to sports analytics can only thrive when they work properly together.
Barcelona and Manchester City Investigations
Contrary to his shining record as a football executive, Berrada has left a wake of questions following his time at both Barcelona and City.
Europe’s top football leagues are attempting to crack down on the corruption, bribery and financial doping. A blight that has plagued football since it has become a professional sport. Both Barcelona and Manchester City, Berrada’s two former clubs are currently two of the teams under investigation for violations of those laws and ethics of the game as well as financial doping.
Barcelona for referee bribing and match fixing. Manchester City for more than 100 breaches of financial fair play regulations.
To put Manchester United fans at ease as much as I can, Berrada has yet to be implicated, indicted, charged or investigated in relation to any of the mentioned accusations.
Omar at Barcelona
As it stands, the charges against Barcelona only date back to 2016. After Omar Berrada left Catalonia.
There is substantial evidence in that case that suggests incidents of bribery did go back as far as 2001. However, the statute of limitations for the case prevents the investigation from using any evidence prior to 2008. As such, rumors have been building that the investigators will stretch the current charges back to that time. Putting the new Manchester United CEO firmly in the spotlight.
While, Berrada was at Barcelona from 2008-2011, his roll in marketing and business development means he is not a person of interest. It doesn’t matter if UEFA extend the investigation as far back as 2008. Most if not all of the evidence available implicates former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and former directors Oscar Grau and Albert Soler.
Berrada appears to be clear of any wrongdoing. Their is no evidence to even suggest he knew what was going on. Nor was he working in a position that would have traditionally made him privileged to that knowledge. Manchester City is a different story for Berrada.
Berrada at Manchester City
Berrada’s involvement in City’s 115 FFP violations is ambiguous at best. He was a principal member of the inner circle at City and CFG. Additionally, one of the many accusations against City is that they are financially doping, or essentially laundering money into the club through falsely represented sponsorship deals. During the period which City are being investigated Berrada was in charge of sponsorships.
His standing and office within the City organization makes it hard to believe he wasn’t involved or in the know, if City are found guilty. Meanwhile, Berrada is quoted as saying he likes to take risks and get out of his comfort zone. Read into that as you will.
However, when City were banned from the 2020 Champions League for the same FFP violations, their case was sent to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. That court overturned UEFA’s ruling and subsequently cleared Berrada of any involvement.
Personally, I am torn. Part of me wants to see City go down hard for those breaches. But, if they are guilty, it is highly likely Berrada was involved. And the last thing I want to see is a great coup turn into a nightmare because our new CEO turns out to have been a part of City’s shady dealings.
For now, as he is our new CEO, I choose to trust that Ratcliffe and Co. are confident of his innocence. Otherwise I would hope they would have passed on him.
Omar Berrada’s Keen Business Sense
One of the best examples of Omar Berrada’s savvy in football business is in the signing of Ruben Dias. As Manchester United fans many of us will not want to hear this story because of how our club fits into the plot. However, it is a prime example of what Berrada can do for us.
There are not many United fans that will have forgotten the summer of 2020. That is the summer when we purchased Harry Maguire for the astronomical sum of $80 million. What comes as a surprise to most is how the Maguire and Dias deals are connected, and Berrada’s roll in both.
That summer Manchester City were originally keen on Maguire to bolster their defense. He was top of their list. They had even made a leading offer of close to $60 million for him. When Manchester Untied showed interest and were willing to pay north of $70 million City decided internally to pivot away from Maguire.
However, some reputable sources have suggested that Berrada deliberately faked continued interest in the Englishman to drive up the price for United. All the while he was working a deal that no one knew about for Ruben Dias, whom they subsequently paid $65 million for. He used Maguire as a distraction to swoop for Dias before anyone else, simultaneously forcing United to overpay.
Berrada saw an opportunity to throw a sneaky upper cut to a rival while securing a better player for cheaper, without anyone knowing. It’s not his fault United took the bait and its not his fault United overpaid. And it is almost certainly the kind of ruthlessness we need at United.
Welcome to Manchester United Omar Berrada
In Berrada’s two decades experience he has amassed a global network of connections. He now brings his little black book of footballing who’s who to Manchester United. He also brings the kind of ruthlessness and cunning that has lifted Manchester City and slighted the Red Devils regularly in the past.
Omar Berrada has worked in every aspect of football management, from marketing and sponsorships, to business development and asset acquisition, to development of youth and women’s teams.
As good as Jean-Claud Blanc looked as new CEO, Omar Berrada is on a different level to Blanc. Where football executives are concerned, there are few with a better CV than him. His arrival at Old Trafford is without a doubt the signing of the January transfer window.
Berrada will take up his roll as soon as Ratcliffe’s purchase of United is ratified by the Premier League. United fans will also be delighted by rumors that Ratcliffe and Berrada are already working hard behind the scenes. They intend to have a new management team, including a DOF ready the moment they arrive at Old Trafford.
All I can say for now is that this is the way I want to see business done at United. Ratcliffe has pulled off a major coup by taking Berrada from City, giving United the CEO they need and deserve. Best of all he did it in record time, before he was officially allowed to take charge of the club. I cant wait to see what the two of them do with our Red Devils.
Glory, Glory Man United!
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