Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori have been the co-owners of Sunderland AFC since May 2023. The billionaire pair took full control of the Black Cats after buying out Stewart Donald.
When did Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori become the owners of Sunderland AFC?
Louis-Dreyfus first became an owner of Sunderland in February 2021 after securing a 41 per cent stake in them. The French businessman also became the youngest chairman in English football at just 23 years old. He has since increased his shares in the Black Cats, too, and now owns 64% of the club.
Sartori has also owned shares in Sunderland since August 2018 before increasing his stake with Louis-Dreyfus in May 2023 to a 36% share. Donald agreed to sell the last of his stake in the Stadium of Light outfit three years after resigning as chairman. He continued to own a minatory share.
Donald agreed to trim his stake in Sunderland in 2022 as Charlie Methven also agreed to sell his shares. Louis-Dreyfus’ original deal to buy a stake in the Black Cats left Donald with 34% and Methven on 5%. But Donald’s stake fell to 19% as Sartori increased his 20% up to 30%.
Despite starting as a 41% owner of Sunderland, Louis-Dreyfus always maintained an interest in increasing his stake. But the businessman wanted to wait for the right opportunity and for the right price. He moved to 51% after Sunderland won the 2022 League One play-off final.
The further deal that removed Donald from Sunderland’s ownership entirely in 2023 handed Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori complete control. It also brought stability to the Black Cats, having passed through many hands since Donald led a consortium in buying out Ellis Short in 2018.
What have Sunderland AFC won with their current owners?
Sartori first invested in Sunderland after the club endured relegation from the Championship in 2018. His time among the Black Cats’ owners has since featured promotion out of League One as play-off champions in 2022. It followed Louis-Dreyfus’ first investment in the team, too.
Louis-Dreyfus came on board as an owner right before Lee Johnson added to Sunderland’s trophy cabinet. The Black Cats won the EFL Trophy by beating Tranmere Rovers at Wembley in March 2021. Sunderland academy product Lynden Gooch hit the only goal in 57 minutes.
Now, of course, the pair have an even bigger achievement to celebrate, with promotion to the Premier League the best thing to have happened to Sunderland for a very long time.
What other sports franchises do Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori own?
Sartori is a Member of the Chamber of Senators of Uruguay, along with being a co-owner of Sunderland. He also sits on the board of directors of AS Monaco and is even a vice-chairman of the Ligue 1 giants. The Uruguayan replaced Willy de Bruyn in the role in November 2021.
Monaco named Sartori to their board with the Sunderland owner the son-in-law of majority owner Dmitry Rybolovlev. Sartori has no shares in Les Monegasques and made his wealth in investment management and private equity. He founded the firm Union Group in 2008.
Louis-Dreyfus, meanwhile, also has interests away from Sunderland but has no involvement in another football club. The Zurich-born French national and his brother, Maurice, invested in the esports team Ovation in March 2021. But neither has a majority interest in the team.
How much is Louis-Dreyfus worth? What is Sartori’s net worth?
No reputable publication reports the net worth of Sunderland owner Louis-Dreyfus. But the Sunderland Echo quoted claims in February 2021 that he has a trust fund worth in excess of $2bn (£1.6bn). La Diaria also noted Sartori’s net worth as $100m (£82m) in November 2020.
The Louis-Dreyfus family are one of the richest families in the world, however. Forbes noted as of November 2023 that his mother, Margarita, controls the family’s fortune worth $3.4bn (£2.7bn). It is now thought the family is worth closer to £4bn in 2025.
Margarita assumed the family fortune when Robert Louis-Dreyfus died of leukemia in 2009. His death left Margarita a 69.6% stake in the agricultural commodities giant, Louis-Dreyfus. She later bought the minority shares owned by other family members in 2019. She also sold 95% of Marseille to Frank McCourt for €45m (£39.5m) in September 2016, but retained 5%.
Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has no control over the 5% share in Marseille that his mother kept. As of November 2023, Forbes ranked Margarita and the Louis-Dreyfus family 818th in their richest persons list. But their fortune peaked at $8.4bn (£6.8bn) in 2015.
Sartori is not worth anywhere near as much in comparison. In early 2024, it was thought he was worth around £80m individually. His money comes from business assets Union Capital Group and International Cannabis Corporation, as well as his ownership of Sunderland and a vice-president role at French club Monaco.
What does Kyril Louis-Dreyfus want from Sunderland?
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has always been the more vocal of the Sunderland owners, and he is not afraid to put his money where his mouth is.
After achieving promotion to the Premier League, Louis-Dreyfus backed Regis Le Bris with around £163m of summer spending to revitalise the playing squad.
The Black Cats made an impressive start to the 2025/26 campaign, which prompted Louis-Dreyfus to outline his ambitions of a top ten finish in the top flight. He also said he would be willing to give Le Bris more spending money in January to ensure that goal is met.