Tesla CEO Elon Musk Suzanne Cordeiro/Special to American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Billionaire Elon Musk causes stir after joking about buying Manchester United

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 8/17/22

It's a rarity these days for Elon Musk to open his mouth without causing a massive stir, or at the very least offending someone. But his diatribe targeted a new group early Wednesday morning: Manchester United fans.

In a Twitter thread in which he made mention of his political affiliations, the billionaire Tesla CEO threw in a line about purchasing the Premier League Club.

Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2022

The tweet then resulted in a very odd exchange with a Twitter account representing Tesla owners in the greater Silicon Valley area.

Are you serious?
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) August 17, 2022

No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2022

It doesn't appear that anyone but Musk was aware of this joke. The timing of the jape is also quite odd, given Musk is currently locked in a legal battle with Twitter after he backed out of a deal to buy the platform for $44 billion earlier this year.

United fans likely wouldn't be happy with Musk purchasing their team, regardless of how unhappy they are with the current leadership group. The Glazer family, the American owners who purchased the team in 2005, have been heavily criticized for putting the team in debt and for the downturn the club has faced in recent years.

The club at Old Trafford ended the last Premier League season in sixth place, 38 points behind league champion and rival Manchester City. They have yet to win a match since the 2022-23 season has started.

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