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Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s youngest mayor since 1892, is a Real Oviedo shareholder who helped save the club in 2012. Oviedo returned to La Liga after 24 years in 2025.
News18
Newly elected New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has a surprising connection to Spanish football — he’s a shareholder in La Liga side Real Oviedo.
The 34-year-old, who became the city’s youngest mayor since 1892 and its first Muslim and South Asian leader, revealed back in 2012 that he had purchased a share in the Asturian club when it was on the brink of collapse.
His decade-old post on X (formerly Twitter) resurfaced after his election, where he wrote:
“Just bought a share, possibly Oviedo’s first shareholder based in Maine?”
On Wednesday afternoon, Oviedo’s own Twitter/X account put the tweet back into circulation, with the following message.
“Congratulations on your victory! New York now has much more of an Oviedo-blue colour to it.”
Mamdani was one of 20,000 fans worldwide — alongside Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata, Michu, and YouTuber Spencer Owen — who helped save the club by purchasing shares when it faced a £1.6 million shortfall in 2012. The global outpouring of support was later bolstered by a major investment from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, which secured Oviedo’s future.
Over a decade later, the club has finally returned to La Liga for the first time since 2001. Though currently battling near the bottom of the table, Oviedo have already earned notable wins over Real Sociedad and Valencia this season.
A lifelong Arsenal fan, Mamdani grew up in Uganda before moving to the U.S. and has often spoken about his love for football, and his habit of staying up late to watch transfer deadline day coverage.
With Oviedo back in La Liga for the first time in 24 years, both are enjoying a rather successful 2025.
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
November 08, 2025, 19:21 IST
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