Who wants to be a billionaire?

Chelsea Football Club have a new manager. He is 33 year old, Portuguese national, Andre Villas-Boas. He is no stranger to Chelsea, having worked at the club previously with Jose Mourinho.

Villas-Boas has been head hunted for the Chelsea job after a successful season with Portuguese Club Porto, in which they won the UEFA Europa League and the domestic Supa Liga.

Villas-Boas

Dutchman, Guus Hiddink was originally the bookmakers favourite to get the Chelsea job. However, Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, had other ideas. Villas-Boas, still contracted by Porto had a contract release clause of  £13 million, which Abramovich duly paid to get his man.

Life is just so much easier when you're a billionaire. Right?

Abramovich, a Russian oil, gas and steel tycoon is Forbes magazines 53rd richest man in the world with an estimated worth of $14 billion. He bought Chelsea in 2003 and has invested £600 million into the club.

The Chel-ski Empire

For all his money in all of his bank accounts, the one thing Abramovich has not been able to buy is patience. Chelsea have had 5 managers in the last 4 years:

Jose Mourinho - the classic, you're fired, you can't fire me, I quit scenario here.
Avram Grant - fired
Luiz-Felipe Scolari - fired
Carlo Ancelotti - fired
Ray Wilkins (head coach) - fired

All of the above mentioned, cost roughly a combined £50 million to get rid of. Okay, the guy is rich. He has cash. I mean check what he spent in a fancy New York restaurant on a 79 minute lunch with his son and 4 business associates.

$ 52 215 with an extra tip

He apparently didn't finish his tiramisu and gave the table dining next to him, half a bottle of the $10 000 Chateau Petrus. That is a bill of R365 500 including a tip of R86 261 for the lucky waitron. Holy fucking christ!

It's not like Chelsea haven't had success since Abramovich has been owner. They have won 3 EPL Titles and 3 FA Cup's but what Abramovich craves is European glory. He wants the UEFA Champions League. Badly.

Hence the frantic spending of £50 million on players like Fernando Torres (transferred from Liverpool to Chelsea) and the chopping and changing of the managerial post in search for his prize.

Torres swapping red for blue

So the pressure is on Villas-Boas then. He needs to deliver results straight away. Firstly though, he needs to gain the respect of superstars like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, who are his age.

Good luck to him.

Getting back to my title question then. Who wants to be a billionaire?

More like, who doesn't?
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