He now owns 20% of Atletico, but who is Wang Jianlin?

Chinese magnate Wang
Jianlin has just paid €45 million
to acquire a 20 per cent stake in
Atletico Madrid, but fans of the
Spanish champions know little
about their new investor.
With a net worth estimated at $19 billion by Forbes, Wang
made his fortune in real estate, with his majority stake in
Wanda Commercial Properties valued at around $15 billion.
He is China's second-richest man.
Originally from a poor backround in the Sichuan province,
Wang spent 16 years in the military before landing a job in
the coastal town of Dalian which allowed him to turn
around a municipal property business that was losing
money. He made the business a spectacular success and
the company became Dalian Wanda.
Today, the Wanda Group owns property all over the world,
including 5,000 movie screens and 346 cinemas, due to its
majority stake in AMC Entertainment, plus a string of
luxury hotels across China and the country's biggest
karaoke chain, Superstar.
But Wang is looking to branch out further and is no
stranger to Madrid, where he is set to purchase the
prestigious Edificio España building for an
estimated €256m.
The 60-year-old magnate is also an art aficionado, having
bought Pablo Picasso's Claude and Paloma for a cool
$28.2m in New York in 2013, while he is also said to sing
popular Mongolian music in Wanda Group board meetings.
And he is, of course, a football fan.
Wang stumped up the cash from his own pocket to bring
former Spain coach Jose Antonio Camacho to China as
national manager and has now bought a 20% stake in
Atletico. The deal was finalised with the club's board in
Beijing in the early hours of Wednesday morning and
covered live by 400 journalists from all over the Asian
nation.
"We are delighted with the possibility of contributing to the
growth of Atletico Madrid with its solid fanbase and a
brand that is rapidly expanding internationally," Wang said.
Atleti's CEO Miguel Angel Marin added: "This is a major
step for the club in its efforts to build a leading global
brand that will provide the financial resources to remain
competitive in Europe and provide riveting experiences for
our fans."
As Atleti's directors travel back from China, Wang will be
watching with interest on Wednesday night as the
Rojiblancos and his favourite player, Arda Turan, take on
Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.
At the moment, Diego Simeone's side rely on their
incredible intensity and tactical organisation to close the
huge deficit in riches alongside Spain's big two. But with
Wang's millions, perhaps the champions can compete on
something like a level playing field in future and finally
give La Liga the big three it deserves.
Courtesy: goal news
Broadcast by Obele Calistus