Who is Omar Berrada? Manchester United’s new CEO who transformed Barcelona and Man City
Manchester United are set to appoint Omar Berrada as their new chief executive officer, dealing rivals Manchester City a major blow.
Berrada is expected to succeed Richard Arnold, who left his post as CEO at Old Trafford before Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent investment in the club was approved.
Currently the chief football operations officer for City Football Group, which owns the Sky Blues and other clubs including Girona and New York City FC, Berrarda has been integral to the success experienced by the Citizens on and off the pitch since first
But just who is Berrarda and what is his background within football? We have taken a look, below.
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Born in Paris to Moroccan parents, Berrarda went through the American school system before dropping out of a Massachusetts engineering college and studying at EU Business School. Living in Barcelona in the final year of his three-year course, he ended up staying in the Spanish city for over 15 years and secured roles working at Honda and internet provider Tiscali.
Berrada emerged as Barcelona’s head of sponsorship in 2004 and remained in this post until August 2011. It was at this point City moved to recruit his services, appointing him as head of international business development. Further roles as director of partnership sales and group commercial director followed before he became chief operating officer in September 2016.
His time working solely for the Sky Blues ended in September 2020 when a promotion to overseeing football operations for the entire City Group came about, making him responsible for multiple sides at once. This role saw Berrada tasked with overseeing talent management, performance services and football intelligence.
The City Football Group has stakes not only in City but also clubs in the United States, Australia, India, Italy, Brazil, Uruguay and other countries. Girona, currently second in La Liga, serves as a prime example of the work being done to transform the teams they possess ownership of.
Berrarda has also been at the heart of some inspired pieces of transfer business conducted by City in particular, none more so than the deal for Erling Haaland in the summer of 2022. United were of course admirers of the prolific Norwegian, who was first identified as a target by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, though it was the reigning champions who were able to lure the towering striker to the Etihad.
His latest career switch will certainly be classed as controversial, though Berrarda admitted in a previous interview he is not afraid of making bold decisions. “A common theme of my career has been to take risks and to try things and to be part of a journey,” he said. “And the journey can go well, it can go badly, but you get to learn and experience things.”
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