Man Utd have announced the appointment of Omar Berrada as the club’s new chief executive with the official crossing the divide from rivals Manchester City.

Berrada has resigned from his position as City’s chief football operations officer to take up the role at Old Trafford.

The 46-year-old’s appointment has been driven by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS team, who have agreed a 25 per cent stake of the club.

Berrarda marks the first significant appointment by the Ratcliffe regime since the deal, which will see Ineos take charge of Manchester United’s football operations.

‘The Club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do,’ a Man United statement read. ‘Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey.

Manchester United have named Manchester City’s Omar Berrada as their new CEO

Berrada is the first major appointment made since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.3bn partial takeover

Man United say Berrada’s appointment signals the first step in a journey to getting football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything the club does

‘It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club.

‘We are pleased that Omar will be joining us to help achieve that goal, so that, once again, United fans can see, in the words of Sir Matt Busby, the red flag flying high at the summit of English, European and world football.’

Berrarda succeeds Richard Arnold who left Man United in December, with lawyer Patrick Stewart serving in the role on an interim basis since.

The Moroccan, who was born in Paris, has been involved in football since joining Barcelona back in 2004.

Berrada had initially planned to pursue a career in engineering after coming through an American schooling system in Morocco. He dropped out of his university course in Massachusetts after six months after concluding the subject was not for him.

Speaking in a 2020 interview with the EU Business School, Berrarda revealed an ambition to travel to Europe led him to studying at the institution.

Berrarda opted for Barcelona for the final year of his three-year course in part due to his support of the Catalan giants, concluding he could learn Spanish and watch good football during 18 months in the city.

After an internship at Honda, he joined the internet provider Tiscali at the start of the internet boom, where he met his wife. His former boss at Tiscali later headhunted Berrarda as Barcelona expanded their marketing department in 2004, citing a need for his particular skill set.

Berrarda joined Man City in a commercial role in 2011 and later became the club and City Football Group’s chief operating officer

Berrada succeeds Richard Arnold who departed as Man United chief executive last month

Berrada enrolled in Catalan classes on his second day in the job, one of six languages the executive speaks – four of which to fluency.

He rose to become the club’s head of sponsorship, where he was tasked with negotiating deals with major global brands and companies.

Berrada left Barcelona after eight years to join Manchester City in 2011, after being approached by the club.

The executive noted that he was the first to join the swathe of Barcelona officials moving to the Premier League side, with chief executive Ferran Sorriano joining a year later. Pep Guardiola became the key addition in 2016.

Speaking in 2020, Berrada claimed the move had been an ‘amazing personal development’.

‘There was just something about the journey that really attracted me and made me really want to try something new,’ Berrada said. ‘To try and challenge myself in a different environment and a different setting.

‘We could almost choose which sponsors to work with at Barcelona. But at Man City some brands would not open the door to us so had to get more creative.’

Berrarda joined Man City in a similar commercial role, initially serving as head of international business development.

He later became the senior vice president and commercial director for City Football Marketing, overseeing partnership sales, partnership activation, retail and licencing, and tours. This has included building the group’s commercial department.

Berrarda’s vast experience in the sponsorship sector is significant for Man United, with Arnold having been viewed as instrumental to the Red Devils strong commercial growth over the last decade.

Berrarda has worked closely with Manchester City’s chief executive Txiki Begiristain, left

The executive was reportedly heavily involved in deal to take Erling Haaland to Man City

This included securing a £900million kit deal with adidas and £60m shirt sponsorship with Qualcomm before departing the club late last year.

Berrada became Man City’s chief operating officer in 2016, before taking on the same role for the entire City Football Group operation four years later, consisting of around 11 clubs on five continents.

His role has reportedly included managing departments dealing with player transactions, data analytics, sports science and scouting.

Insiders say he worked closely with director of football Txiki Begiristain and was involved the £63m deal which took Erling Haaland to the club from Borussia Dortmund.

Berrada has also been credited with the some of the success of City’s academy, particularly sales to other clubs.

While historic tweets have since emerged from Berrarda mocking Man United’s struggles in the past, fans may be more enthused his public declarations about leadership.

He previously identified being able to articulate a clear vision, leading by example, and being collaborative as the three key principles in leadership. The official has also expressed the need for leaders to connect with their local fan base.