Fact Check: Did Robbie Williams bid to buy Port Vale football club? Viral news debunked

English singer and songwriter Robbie Williams was made President of his long-time beloved football club Port Vale on January 27, 2024. Following this, rumors and speculations ran amok that the Angels singer is preparing a bid to buy his childhood football club, with the bonus of a potentially lucrative TV spin-off in the works.

These rumors were debunked by Port Vale FC's official X account on January 31, 2024. The club released an official statement that the singer had "not made a bid" to purchase the club and that there have been "no conversations" regarding it happening. The tweet has already garnered 17.2K views at the time of writing this article.

Though Williams has been a lifelong fan of Port Vale, there has been no confirmed news of his bid to buy the club. According to The Sun, Williams co-created the Soccer Aid charity football matches and played for Port Vale in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in a 2001 testimonial, and later helped design their shirts.

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Robbie Williams' bid to buy Port Vale debunked

Robbie Williams has been a fan of Port Vale since he was a child growing up in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. The football fanatic even founded a US-based football team in 2005 called Los Angeles Vale.

Following the news of his presidency, many national news outlets speculated whether this was a leg-in for the singer to make a bid to purchase the club. But Port Vale cleared all speculations by releasing an official statement that read:

"Robbie Williams has not made a bid to purchase Port ValeFootball Club and there have been no conversations regarding that happening. Robbie and his team attended the match this past weekend, where he became Club President and officially opened the suite that is now named after him."

The club also said there are several projects that Robbie Williams is exploring "with the intention of anything delivered being in the best interests of Port Vale Football Club."

"There are a number of positive club projects that both Carol [Shanahan] and Robbie are exploring with the intention of anything delivered being in the best interests of Port Vale Football Club. As owners of the club, the Shanahan family remain fully committed to Port Vale FC."

Celebrities eyeing to buy football clubs is not new. According to The Mirror, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElheney purchased Wrexham for £2 million in 2021.

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Robbie Williams holds the Guinness World Record for selling 1.6 million concert tickets in 24 hours

Robbie Williams' fans know of the singer's tenure in the British boy band Take That before he went solo. Take That's popularity in the 90s was unbeatable, with their best-selling 1995 album Nobody Else selling over six million copies worldwide. Williams broke the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006 when he sold 1.6 million tickets in a single day for his Close Encounters Tour.

According to Radio Times, Williams quit the band due to his alcoholism and drug problem. His solo career took off in 1996, launching him into a world of fame and stardom.

Robbie Williams rose to fame following his tenure in boy band Take That (Image via Getty Images)

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Williams reportedly has a whopping net worth of $300 million and is considered to be one of the best-selling British artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide.