The arrival of Manchester United as City’s chief operating officer is perceived as a coup d’état, how much influence will Berrada have?
Omar Berrada and John Lennon: Manchester United’s new chief executive and the Beatles superstar are kindred spirits.
This is according to Berrada himself, the Moroccan born in Paris and a Barcelona fan as a child. His poaching of Manchester City through Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who owns 27. 7% of United and controls football policy, came as a surprise to the champions’ hierarchy and is perceived as a coup d’état in the industry.
Berrada quoted a line from Lennon’s song Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) – “Life is what you come up with while you’re busy doing other projects” – when he told EU Business School that he moved to its Barcelona campus for a year but ended up staying in Catalonia. for thirteen years before joining City in 2011.
The initial decision was, in part, that he “could watch smart football” in Barcelona while he graduated, which he did in 1999 before meeting his future wife at his first job, for the telecommunications company Tiscali. From there, Berrada was recruited to Head of Sponsorship at Barça in 2004. That same day he was told that Catalan was the “official language” of the club, and so he learned.
Seven years later, City recruited Berrada to take charge of foreign development. He became chief operating officer in 2016 and when United hired him in January, he was working, as he had since 2020, as chief operating officer for all 12 teams at City Football. Group umbrella.
Berrada’s departure for the city’s fierce rivals is like a bombshell, a user close to the city executive told the Observer. Berrada was instrumental in building the ultra-smooth operation at the Etihad Stadium, but faces a huge challenge at United, according to Stefan Borson, a former City player. Monetary advisor.
Borson first lays out how Berrada has to deal with a multitude of leaders: Ratcliffe himself; the two key lieutenants of the Ineos owner, Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc; and the six Glazer brothers, most of them homeowners led by Florida-based co-CEOs Joel and Avram.
“The big challenge is the number of voices and opinions around the table,” Borson says. “Berrada has been appointed CEO, but there are two co-CEOs, which is unusual at present. Most CEOs probably wouldn’t be forced to work with fewer than two people, especially when they’re not on the floor in the UK. Then you’ve got all the other infrastructure of Ratcliffe, Brailsford, Blanc.
Ratcliffe has made a first decision without Berrada’s intervention, while Berrada is on leave to work in the garden before the scheduled start this summer, he will have to watch tomorrow’s derby from afar. He appointed Dan Ashworth as head of the football department, subject to remuneration. deal with Newcastle United.
The Observer understands that Berrada was informed of the aim of renting Ashworth talks with Ratcliffe and the Glazers in relation to his potential appointment as chief executive, and that this was in line with his perspectives on who deserves to upgrade John Murtough in that role.
Ratcliffe’s side have also expressed their desire to make United the ‘Wembley of the North’ by refurbishing Old Trafford or building a new stadium on the site. “Look at how visual Ratcliffe already is,” Borson adds.
“He’s talking openly with [Greater Manchester mayor] Andy Burnham about the stadium. He’s hiring a director of football and that’s probably before Berrada is there because he’s allowed to play. Ashworth was told that he would have wonderful decision-making power. Therefore, the level is rarely conducive to being the “best dog” in Berrada. It’s a challenge, it’s not insurmountable, and he clearly knew that before he took the role.
Berrada has the ability to take care of everything, according to more than one user who has watched his paintings at City. It is characterized by being friendly but not easy and by having experience in transfers and player contracts. It also includes business opportunities as well as the systems, physical infrastructure, and other people that make up a club.
When he first ran City’s non-football business, deals negotiated through Berrada included a multimillion-dollar deal in 2014 that turned Nissan into a global partner. He was then guilty of the club’s structural operations before moving into the rarefied field of football operations, first for City and then for CFG.
Berrada has been compared to David Gill, United’s chief executive for 10 years until 2013, who worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson in the club’s decade of greatest success, with six Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup, three League Cups and the Club Cup. The World Cup has been reclaimed. Here, however, Berrada has some challenges known through those who know both clubs.
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In ÀCity, the president, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the general director, Ferran Soriano, the sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, and Pep Guardiola, the eminent coach of the generation, to run the club without interference. Berrada is not supported in a top-tier structure. Instead, the request is to rebuild United virtually from the ground up.
Borson says, “The first thing I would do would be pay attention. For a month, two, three. Go through the organization and pay attention to everyone. Ignoring preconceptions. In fact, staying with all the other people we’ve talked to. to get my own opinion on what’s going on at the club.
“We all hear that United are a disaster. From the outside it turns out that they have disorders at all levels. You want to find out what those disorders are, because if you can’t identify them, you can’t solve them. I would communicate from the youngest [employees] to the oldest.
Another user who has worked with City and United for a number of years believes Berrada accepted the task due to a number of factors. There is a huge opportunity to turn United around, the lucrative salary and bonuses on offer, and the cap on City, where, unless Begiristain and Soriano leave, perhaps no more.
Borson agrees. It’s a no-brainer. [He] will go to United for sure in the best moment of the last 40 years, maybe.
As Berrada once said, “Challenge yourself – get out of your convenience zone because that will make you grow professionally. “
United watchers will have to wait to see if Berrada is up to the task of reviving a giant club that has stagnated since Ferguson’s departure. A major test will be the newfound agility in the transfer market, where United have recently operated at a frigid pace.
Barcelona’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong for months and ultimately falling through in the summer of 2022 is just one example of a long list of failed moves. Compare that to City and, say, the few days it took them to get Jérémy Doku out from Rennes last year. Part of the challenge lies in the way United’s slowness means its targets are disclosed.
Borson says, “Anyone who is dissatisfied or aggrieved will let [the media] know. Berrada has to get them out. You have to say, “This is who we are now. It’s my new beginning. ” I’m in charge. Over time, we will notice the strength of Berrada.