Rory McIlroy says fellow golfers offered him the chance to become an investor in Leeds United – but he had to turn it down because he’s a Manchester United fan .
However, the Northern Ireland international said he would welcome the opportunity to invest in the club he supports.
McIlroy, 34, recently joined F1 team sponsor Alpine.
“Sports stars are getting more savvy and are really trying to use their money the right way,” he said.
American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have bought 49ers Enterprises, which completed the £170m takeover of Leeds United in July
“They asked me if I wanted to join and I said ‘As a Man Utd fan I can’t go near it,'” McIlroy said.
However, he would welcome the chance to feature at Old Trafford.
The Glazer family, who bought Manchester United for £790 million in 2005, announced in November 2022 that they were considering a sale.
Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani recently withdrew from a takeover of the club, while the remaining main buyer, British businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group, is said to be interested in buy 25% of the club’s shares.
McIlroy said he would “love to take a 0.0001% stake” in the Glazers’ investment offer and added:
“If another opportunity comes my way, I will certainly consider it.”
“Being able to own even a tiny percentage of the club you grew up with would be pretty awesome.”
For now, however, he is excited about the opportunity to join Formula 1 and is talking about joining the Alpine team at Circuit of the Americas in Texas ahead of the US Grand Prix.
“It’s a great opportunity, I’ve always been a big fan of F1,” he said.
“Back in the day there were quite a few Northern Ireland/Irish connections with Eddie Jordan and Eddie Irvine. That’s always what I followed.
“And then when that opportunity came up, I just thought about the fame of F1, how it’s booming in the US in particular – and I’ve invested in some things – but this race has more history and a journey.
“It’s no surprise that they go to the market and attract investors, but I think it clearly helps stabilize the team and gives them a certain confidence in the future.
“F1 in general does a great job. Golf can learn a lot from F1 in terms of set-up and how to do things.”
‘We’re all friends now’ – Rory on Ryder Cup row
McIlroy was also asked about his angry exchange with an American caddie before Europe regained the Ryder Cup in Rome earlier this month.
McIlroy took exception to Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava celebrating a putt on the green as he lined up his own shot.
Their row continued in a car park and McIlroy later said the incident had fired up the European team on the way to victory the following day.
However any bad feeling is all in the past, McIlroy said.
“Things happen in the heat of the moment, tensions were high. Joe LaCava came into the European team room on the Sunday night and had a drink and a chat.
“I’ve had a great relationship with Joe over the years when he caddied for Tiger (Woods) and that wasn’t going to change.
“For me, the incident happened, I purposely didn’t want to meet anyone on the Sunday morning because I wanted what had happened to fuel me for that day. My whole focus was let’s make sure Europe win the Ryder Cup and then we will sort all the other stuff out afterwards.
“And it’s all fine. We’re all friends now.”
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