ARSENAL are Stateside as they kick off their pre-season tour against Colorado Rapids.
Gunners’ fans are displeased with the club and their owner Stan Kroenke over their limited budget during this transfer window – and now face another of the American’s teams.
The Missouri billionaire is best known across the globe for owning a large number of teams across a variety of sports.
Aside from Arsenal, his most successful is undoubtedly American Football side Los Angeles Rams.
The NFL outfit, formerly known as St Louis Rams, won the Super Bowl in 1999 but lost to the New England Patriots in the showpiece in February.
In association football, Kroenke bought MLS outfit Colorado Rapids in 2004, purchasing lacrosse side Colorado Mammoth at the same time.
NBA team Denver Nuggets was the first team his Kroenke Sports & Entertainment group , along with NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.
More recently, he set up Los Angeles Gladiators in 2017 – an esports team to compete in the Overwatch League.
While Kroenke owns these teams, he has delegated some of the positions to his family.
Most notably, his son Josh is President of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avanlache, while also being a non-executive director at Arsenal.
As for his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke, she is an heir to the Walmart fortune.
While the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche fall under the KSE group, she owns them, as NFL rules mean that her husband cannot own teams in other markets with LA Rams already under his command.
Stan Kroenke and his wife are among the richest couples in the world, with the 70-year-old holding a stake in her family’s Walmart business.
She was born in Missouri to James “Bud” Walton, who was an a business partner to his brother and Walmart founder Sam, and Audrey Walton.
Ann Walton inherited the company from her father along with her sister Nancy Walton Laurie.
She is estimeated to be worth around $7billion (£5.58bn), with her husband worth $8.8bn (£7bn).
They have been married since 1974 and have three children.
