Probably one of most bizarre stories surrounding the takeover of our club has come from the pages of the Daily Star in recent days.
Former boxer Floyd Mayweather has said he would consider investing in the Magpies if it were a sensible financial decision. He was quoted by the newspaper (via the Chronicle) as even saying he would look to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo into moving to Tyneside to end his career:
‘I love Newcastle. Those guys like to party as hard as any city I have been to anywhere in the world. I met some of the players last year and they are good guys. I am always open to new business opportunities and I love all sports?but I invest with my head not my heart.’
‘Investing with your heart is the quickest way to lose money. But if somebody put together a business plan and my people looked over it and went ‘Floyd, that can make money,` then I would invest. Soccer might not be my game but I`ve got connections everywhere. Cristiano Ronaldo has been a long-time supporter and buddy of mine, so I might even be able to get him to finish his career off at Newcastle.’
Fans on Twitter were justifiably sceptical, but also saw the funny side of this very odd story:
Newcastle ‘Money’ United#NUFC #Mayweather
? Sam Mothersole (@FullTimeSammy) 19 March 2018
Floyd Mayweather??? FFS man howay #NUFC
? Paul Kershaw (@PaulKershaw79) 19 March 2018
Floyd Mayweather reportedly wants #NUFC it won`t be long before he clocks Ashley in the talks and next year we`ll have a match for control of Newcastle United in a ladder match at Wrestlemania for Floyd`s undefeated streak.
? Shaun Todd ?? (@ShaunToddx) 19 March 2018
NOT ENOUGH-MONEY MAYWEATHER. #NUFC
? Teddy Big Bucks (@DayaCeo) 19 March 2018
First vince McMahon, now floyd mayweather, #nufc get the weirdest takeover links. Who knows, we may end up having the mayweather/mcgregor rematch at the toon
? toonutter (@Toon871) 19 March 2018
Could you imagine if Mayweather actually did buy us? We`d end up being called Newcastle United money inc! #NUFC
? Rafa (@El_MagoNUFC) 19 March 2018
Hahaha this is amazing. First Vince McMahon, now Floyd Mayweather. How do we get linked with such radgy takeovers?! #nufc https://t.co/MWjGeJYMpU
? Andrew Lawes (@LawesDisorder) 18 March 2018
the quotes are obvs a passing remark given that he did that talk in last year. Nice that he remembers the place. Still hanging on to the hope that Vinny Mc swoops in and saves us from this purgatory.
? The Steve (@TheMightySteve) 19 March 2018
the quotes are obvs a passing remark given that he did that talk in last year. Nice that he remembers the place. Still hanging on to the hope that Vinny Mc swoops in and saves us from this purgatory.
? The Steve (@TheMightySteve) 19 March 2018
What’s wrong with the Star?
It’s a better source than ketchup man? Nixon (@mark89nixon) 19 March 2018
Verdict:
I think we can safely say this story is from the realms of fantasy, and as we`ve seen in the past with WWE owner Vince McMahon, we do tend to get some quite off the wall links to new owners. The fact that it was buried on the bottom of page 13 of the Daily Star suggest the paper themselves weren`t particularly convinced by the validity of the quotes from Mayweather. I think we can safely put this down to a slow news day.