WHETHER it is in England, his home of Greece, or even Portugal – Evangelos Marinakis is seemingly universally loved by football fans.
The Greek shipping magnate, 57, has earned a staggering fortune of around £2.5billion through his company Capital Maritime Trading Corp.
He has pumped that cash into his clubs, funding spending sprees for Nottingham Forest, winning multiple Greek titles with Olympiacos and last year he acquired a large stake in Portuguese outfit Rio Ave.
It has been reported he plans to add a Brazilian club to his roster, which is why he lured Arsenal’s sporting director Edu on a reported triple your salary deal to oversee his football empire.
But away from the game, Marinakis has his finger in other pies too.
He runs a TV station famed for its soaps, sitcoms, political shows and the Champions League, as well as some of Greece’s biggest-selling newspapers.
Marinakis hasn’t just spent his millions on football clubs, he is also the proud owner of two super yachts worth over £20million a piece.
While back in 2021, he was in the news when one of his shipping boats saved 150 migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea.
SunSport looks into his mad world.
Making money
The son of a politician, Marinakis made his billions after founding Capital Maritime & Trading Corp in 2005.
By 2017, the company managed a mixed fleet of 70 ships.
These included tankers, container ships and dry bulk carriers.
A year later, they entered the LNG sector by purchasing ten ships capable of transporting liquified natural gas at the cost of a whopping £1.5billion.
A year later, they merged their tanker fleet with DSS Holdings, who are bankrolled by New York private equity firm WL Ross & Co in a £1.3billion deal.
Together, they have created one of the biggest listed tanker companies in the world.
Marinakis continues to plough cash into his business, last year pumping £82million into the company to invest in seven platform supply vessels.
One for giving back, Marinakis has put his money into the regeneration of his hometown Piraeus, including restoring playgrounds, building football pitches and helping the homeless by setting up soup kitchens.
The man, who has a tattoo on his left arm that reads ‘Dream Love Create Fight Survive Win’, also has plenty of empathy.
Piraeus is a port city, and the first entry for refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Marinakis once had a group of people, including Olympiacos staff, welcome those coming off boats with food, clothes and toys for their children.
It’s not the first time he has come to the aid of desperate refugees.
In 2021, an oil tanker belonging to the shipping tycoon came to the rescue of more than 150 migrants who were sinking on a 15-metre wooden boat in the Mediterranean sea.
The crew raised the alarm, and with the native coastal guard launched a rescue mission to haul them to safety on the tanker.
Football
In 2010, Marinakis entered the football world by buying a stake in Olympiacos.
Incredibly, they won the Greek league seven times in a row from 2010–11 to 2016–17.
After lucky number seven, Marinakis set his sights on English football – adding Nottingham Forest to his football club portfolio.
A man who isn’t afraid to shoot for the stars, he declared that he wanted the club to qualify for Europe within five years, as well to redevelop the City Ground and transform the team’s Nigel Doughty Academy.
Forest were promoted to the Premier League in 2022 for the first time in 23 years, justifying Marikanis’ belief they were a sleeping giant ready to be woken up.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos became the first Greek club to win a European competition, after they lifted the Europa Conference League last year – defeating Fiorentina in the final.
His next project, after investing around £20million in Portuguese outfit Rio Ave to clear debts and upgrade facilities, sees him working with super agent Jorge Mendes. Fans are hoping for exciting times with bated breath.
read more sport features
Controversy
Of course, with so much power and money, Marinakis is one of Greece’s most recognised businessmen.
He is a major shareholder in the newsgroup Alter Ego Media, who own broadcaster Mega TV.
Not only do they show sitcoms and Champions League football, they pride themselves on their news coverage and aren’t afraid to talk politics.
But not everyone loves Marinakis. Back in March, a meeting at his home was the downfall of two Greek ministers who were forced to resign, following a night of drinking expensive whiskey and smoking luxurious cigars.
According to Greek news outlet iEidiseis, who published the details of the gatherings, it wasn’t a good look to be wined and dined by the media magnate.
There have been further controversies, including a match-fixing and bribery scandal that erupted in 2015 in the Greek league.
Marinakis was one of 68 people named, however he denied the allegations and was cleared in court three years later.
There was also a wild complaint against him that he was involved in the bombing of a referee’s bakery, which he vehemently denied any involvement with and didn’t even go to trial.
Playtime
Being a billionaire comes with many perks.
Marinakis divides his time between stunning homes in Athens and London.
When he’s not there, you’ll likely find him on one of his super yachts.
Marinakis boasts TWO – the Amore Mio and Amore Mio II.
The former costs around £20million and has a yearly running cost of £1million.
It can host up to 10 guests, as well as seven cabin crew in its nine cabins. It is 148 feet in length.
The Amore Mio II is slightly bigger at 170 feet, and was made by Abeking & Rasmussen in Germany at their Lemwerder shipyard.
It was little more expensive – costing around £25million – and boasts fifteen cabins.
Don’t we all wish we could live in a Marinakis world right now.
