IT’S been almost 250 years since America broke away from British rule with the Declaration of Independence.
But there’s now a revolution happening on the other side of the Atlantic, with Tom Brady becoming the latest soccer-loving Statesider to invest in English football.
The 46-year-old NFL legend is the newest US superstar to pump his own money into a Blighty-based team after becoming a joint owner of Birmingham City.
And he could soon be joined by more as Everton prepare to be taken over by US investment firm 777 Partners in a deal said to be worth more than £500million.
Here, SunSport’s Anthony Chapman looks at Brady and some of his compatriots who have dug out the dollars to bring a slice of Uncle Sam to these shores…
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TOM BRADY – BIRMINGHAM CITY
RECORD seven-time Super Bowl winner has switched football codes by investing in Championship side Birmingham.
Worth a reported £400million, Brady will work directly with the club’s board after “entering into a partnership” with new owner Knighthead Capital Management LLC.
The ace, who recently retired from NFL after a stunning 23-year career, admitted he has got "a lot to learn" about the English game.
And he is likely to do his learning with a glamorous partner by his side, having been linked with Kim Kardashian and Irina Shayk following his split from Gisele Bundchen.
Brady caused a stir last month when he made his first visit to watch Birmingham in action.
RYAN REYNOLDS & ROB McELHENNEY – WREXHAM
THE Hollywood movie star and cult comedy icon came together in unlikely circumstances to buy then-non-league Welsh side Wrexham for £2m in 2021.
Reynolds from Canada, and American partner McElhenney, who are both 46, documented the trials and tribulations of football ownership in TV show ‘Welcome to Wrexham.’
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But after play-off heartbreak in their first season, the American duo shed tears of joy as they watched their side win the National League title in April.
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And Wrexham are now dreaming of glory in League Two, having played giants like Chelsea and Manchester United in a pre-season tour of the States.
LeBRON JAMES – LIVERPOOL
ARGUABLY the greatest basketball star in history, James made his move into the Premier League with Liverpool 12 years ago.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer purchased a two per cent stake in the Reds before buying an undisclosed amount of shares in 2021.
James, 38, even helped launch Liverpool’s new Nike kit following their 2019 title win under Jurgen Klopp.
And he will be hoping his four NBA Championships can inspire the Reds to silverware this season, with James also a part-owner of MLB giants Boston Red Sox.
JJ WATT – BURNLEY
ANOTHER NFL star who has swapped an oval ball for a round one.
The iconic defensive linesman, 34, got involved at Burnley earlier this year after Vincent Kompany’s men sealed their return to the top flight.
Watt and wife Kealia’s investment saw them take up a minority stake at Turf Moor.
But the Houston Texans legend was jokingly snubbed from Burnley’s new kit launch, with the Clarets admitting Watt couldn’t be trusted to keep the design a secret from fans on social media.
MICHAEL B. JORDAN – BOURNEMOUTH
A SCREEN Actors Guild winner, Tinseltown favourite Jordan was part of Bill Foley’s consortium that gave Bournemouth an early Christmas present in December after a takeover worth £150m.
Jordan knows a thing or two about adversity in sport, starring in Rocky spin-off Creed.
He’ll be hoping the Cherries’ season doesn’t go down to The Wire, having had a leading role in Season 1 of the smash-hit HBO show.
But after being named twice on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, Jordan, 36, will give Bournemouth considerable pulling power to land their top targets.
777 PARTNERS - EVERTON
Everton fans are in seven heaven after Farhad Moshiri confirmed he's agreed to sell the club to US investment firm 777 Partners in a deal said to be worth more than £500million.
The Miami-based company still have to pass the Premier League's fit and proper persons test before the takeover.
777 Partners was formed in 2015 by business entrepreneurs Steven Pasko and Josh Wander and they focus their efforts on seven core industries: Insurance, Aviation, Sports, Media & Entertainment, Fintech, Litigation Finance, Private Credit, and Sustainability.
To date, they have over 50 portfolio companies and operate in over 20 countries around the world.
The company already has a number of ties in football, including owning 70 per cent of CR Vasco da Gama, which was the biggest transaction in the history of the Brazilian game, as well as Genoa in Serie A.
They have assets in aviation with low-budget airlines in Canada and Australia.
More glamorously, their investment in Hollywood film studio STX Entertainment has seen them involved in the production of the Oscar-nominated The Irishman and the eagerly anticipated Ferrari biopic.
But the Daily Mail reported this week how Everton's prospective new owners were late in making a £900,000 payment to their business partners at the British Basketball League earlier this summer.
The Mail had earlier reported that “777 made much of their money from pay-day loans and invested in budget airlines, with both enterprises attracting a series of lawsuits in the United States featuring allegations of fraud and racketeering”.
Lots of those cases remain ongoing but Wander has not been personally accused of any wrongdoing.
Regarding the fit and proper persons test, Wander’s suitability will be assessed but this report stated that government sources had “expressed concern about some of his companies’ alleged activities”.
He pleaded “no contest” to three drugs offences 20 years ago but that is unlikely to be a disqualifying factor as the conviction is spent.
However, the Premier League could look at the numerous allegations made against 777 and sister companies in the American courts - although 777 deny the allegations and none have been proven in court.
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