Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Born	Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1970-11-20) November 20, 1970 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Occupation(s)	Royal, politician, businessman
Years active	1997–present
Known for	Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, owner of Manchester City F.C., chairman of Mubadala Investment Company

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; born 20 November 1970), widely recognized as Sheikh Mansour, is an Emirati royal and political figure currently holding the positions of Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, he serves as the minister overseeing the presidential court. As a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling Al Nahyan family, he is the brother of the incumbent UAE president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mansour is married to Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, who is the daughter of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. A billionaire with extensive investments, he owns shares in various football clubs through the City Football Group, including the Premier League team Manchester City F.C..

He leads two sovereign wealth funds of the UAE: the Emirates Investment Authority and Mubadala Investment Company, and holds a board membership at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Furthermore, Mansour presides over both the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the state-owned oil enterprise, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

As proprietor of the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), Mansour took ownership of Manchester City in 2008. Since then, under his guidance and with management by Khaldoon Al Mubarak alongside City Football Group, the club has secured seven top-tier league championships, including its inaugural Premier League title in 2012 and the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2023. His sports holdings also encompass teams such as New York City FC competing in Major League Soccer. Some critics and human rights advocates have accused Mansour’s sports ventures of functioning as sportswashing, aiming to improve the UAE’s global reputation despite ongoing concerns regarding its human rights practices.

Early life and education

Born on 21 November 1970 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Mansour is the fifth son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was then Emir of Abu Dhabi. His mother is Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi, and he has five full brothers: Mohammed, Hamdan, Hazza, Tahnoun, and Abdullah. Collectively, they are referred to as Bani Fatima or sons of Fatima.

In 1989, Mansour enrolled at Santa Barbara Community College to study English. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the United Arab Emirates University in 1993.

Political career

Sheikh Mansour was appointed chairman of the presidential office in 1997 during his father Sheikh Zayed’s presidency. Following his father's passing, his eldest half-brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, named him as the first minister for presidential affairs after merging the presidential office with the court. He has also held numerous roles supporting his brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

He led the ministerial council for services (now known as Ministerial Development Council) starting in 2000 and was head of the National Center for Documentation and Research. In 2004, he was appointed minister for presidential affairs. By 2005, Mansour was deputy chairman of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and chaired entities including the Emirates Foundation, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. In 2006, he became chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, followed by chairmanship of the Khalifa bin Zayed Charity Foundation in 2007.

He served as chairman of First Gulf Bank up until 2006 and acted as trustee for the Zayed charitable foundation. Mansour initiated scholarship programs enabling UAE students to study overseas and chairs the Emirates horse racing authority (EHRA). On 11 May 2009, he was appointed as a deputy prime minister while maintaining his ministerial duties. On 29 March 2023, he assumed office as the UAE’s second vice president, serving alongside Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

In October 2022, during his role as deputy prime minister, Mansour faced allegations related to assisting sanctioned Russian oligarchs—including Roman Abramovich—in circumventing sanctions amid the context of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was described as a key figure facilitating Russian asset transfers to the UAE.

Business portfolio

Sheikh Mansour serves as chairman of the UAE government-owned Mubadala Investment Company and previously led IPIC as its chairman. After the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and the 2016 detention of IPIC's managing director Khadem al-Qubaisi, IPIC was consolidated into Aabar Investments. Qubaisi claimed that Mansour and UAE officials made him a scapegoat.

In 2005, Mansour became a member of the Supreme Petroleum Council, chaired IPIC's board, and joined the board of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). By 2007, he was appointed chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of the UAE.

Mansour acquired a 32% share in Virgin Galactic through a $280 million investment made by Aabar in 2009. That same year, Aabar purchased a 9.1% stake in Daimler for $2.7 billion, targeting an increase to 15% by 2010. He also owns Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC), which partnered with British Sky Broadcasting to launch Sky News Arabia, an Arabic news channel headquartered in Abu Dhabi. ADMIC publishes the English-language newspaper The National and secured a 2.1% stake in pan-European broadcaster Euronews in 2017.

Sport

An accomplished equestrian, Mansour chairs the Emirates horse racing authority. In late 2024, he acquired the Thoroughbred breeding farm Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard located in Neuvy-au-Houlme for €28 million. Additionally, he supports the annual Zayed International Half Marathon held in Abu Dhabi.

As chairman of Al Jazira Sports Company, Mansour was instrumental in Abu Dhabi’s successful bids to host the FIFA Club World Cup in both 2009 and 2010. The company owns Al Jazira Club, which fields teams in football, volleyball, handball, and basketball. The football squad clinched the UAE President’s Cup during the 2010–2011, 2011–2012, and 2015–2016 seasons.

Ownership of Manchester City

In September 2008, Mansour purchased Manchester City from former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The takeover was finalized by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), backed by Mansour, on 23 September 2008. He is also proprietor of City Football Group, established in 2014, encompassing clubs such as Manchester City, Bahia, Melbourne City, New York City FC, Mumbai City FC, among others. Since acquiring Manchester City, Mansour has attended only two matches: one in 2010 and the UEFA Champions League final in 2023.

A leak in 2023 revealed that City owners made £30 million in sponsorship payments to the club during 2012 and 2013. According to a UEFA report from 2020, these payments were characterized as “disguised equity funding” not originating from Etisalat. Financial intermediary Jaber Mohamed arranged these transactions on behalf of Mansour and ADUG. In 2025, it emerged that Mohamed held the position of General Director at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court (CPC) and acted as a senior advisor to Mohamed bin Zayed (MbZ). Another CPC official, Mohamed Al Mazrouei, also served on Manchester City's board.

Personal life

Sheikh Mansour wed Sheikha Alia bint Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed during the mid-1990s. They have one son named Zayed, who married Sheikha Meera bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan in May 2022.

In 2005, Mansour married Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Their family includes two daughters and three sons: Fatima (born 2006), Mohammed (2007), Hamdan (2011), Latifa (2014), and Rashid (2017).

Controversies

Mansour bin Zayed significantly contributes to enhancing the UAE’s soft power through his ownership of Manchester City, although the club has encountered accusations related to financial misconduct in securing elite players. A UEFA investigation revealed that Mansour and ADUG arranged sponsorship payments through an intermediary financial agent. As part of his media expansion efforts, Mansour acquired Arabic-language channels affiliated with Sky News and CNN. In 2023, his company International Media Investments sought to purchase The Daily Telegraph for $600 million; however, the UK government intervened, citing concerns over national security and press freedom.

In alignment with the UAE’s hard power approach, Mansour oversaw covert operations in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Sudan. He maintained relationships with warlords and authoritarian figures backed by the UAE, including military leader Khalifa Haftar during Libya’s civil conflict. In Sudan, Mansour realigned Omar al-Bashir’s loyalties toward the UAE by providing billions in funding to promote Emirati objectives in Yemen. Prior to the 2023 Sudanese conflict, Mansour hosted General Mohamed Hamdan; charitable organizations under his influence constructed a hospital that was reportedly used to arm Hamdan’s forces.

Mansour’s extravagant lifestyle features ownership of the $688 million yacht Topaz, which US legal authorities connected to funds originating from the 1MDB scandal. Although identified as a “co-conspirator” and positioned at the top of a “bribery hierarchy,” he was not formally charged; nonetheless, his companies agreed in 2023 to pay $1.8 billion to Malaysia.

Honours

• Honorary Knight Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (2013)