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By Jeremy Wilson For a man whose voice is so rarely heard publicly in Britain, the impact of Roman Abramovich has certainly been loud, unmistakeable and profound. It was exactly five years ago that he sealed a deal with Ken Bates to purchase Chelsea for £140 million and, in that time, the face of London, English and world football has been transformed. In 2003, the idea of foreign ownership was extremely rare, while the concept of billionaire investors was virtually unheard of. Yet, as the 2008-09 season nears, nine Premier League clubs are in foreign hands. Among the exotic cast of billionaire characters with a financial stake in English football are Stan Kroenke, Alisher Usmanov, Malcolm Glazer, Randy Lerner, Bernie Ecclestone, Tom Hicks, Joe Lewis, Mike Ashley, Thaksin Shinawatra, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson and Lakshmi Mittal.... [read full story]
