Dragan Šolak built his wealth primarily by founding and expanding United Group, then retaining a substantial ownership stake as the telecommunications and media business grew and changed hands. A 2022 Guardian profile estimated his wealth at £1.4 billion, largely based on a reported 33% stake in United Group; that is a dated media estimate, not a verified current net-worth figure.
United Group was the main source of his wealth
United Group began with an investment in a cable operator in Central Serbia and expanded into a telecommunications and media company serving Southeast Europe. Milbank’s 2022 company profile describes that evolution from a greenfield investment into a regional industry leader: Milbank’s United Group profile.
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The wealth mechanism was equity ownership. As the business expanded, Šolak retained a substantial stake rather than receiving wealth solely as salary or from a later football investment. The Guardian reported in January 2022 that he still held 33% of United Group and estimated his wealth at £1.4 billion, mainly derived from that stake: The Guardian’s 2022 profile. The estimate should be understood in that context and date; it is not an audited personal balance sheet or a current valuation.
How company ownership changed
The Guardian reported that private-equity firm KKR became United Group’s owner in 2014 and that the company was sold to another private-equity firm in 2019. Šolak retained the reported 33% stake through those ownership changes. The available reporting does not provide a complete financial history, valuation series, or breakdown of what he personally received from each transaction, so it is not possible to calculate his proceeds from those sales from these figures alone.
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What the 2025 asset sale does—and does not—show
In June 2025, United Group announced the sale of SBB, Net TV Plus and Western Balkan sports broadcasting rights for a combined enterprise value of €1.5 billion. The company also said Šolak would step down from his company role: United Group’s announcement, 16 June 2025.
That €1.5 billion is the enterprise value of the specified assets, not the amount paid to Šolak personally. The announcement does not establish his ownership share in those assets, any debt allocation, taxes or distributions. It therefore cannot be used as a calculation of his personal proceeds or current wealth.
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Southampton was a later investment, not the source of his fortune
In January 2022, Sport Republic acquired a controlling interest in Southampton. Sky Sports reported that Sport Republic acquired 80% of the club: Sky Sports’ report on the completed deal. The Guardian put the purchase price at about £100 million. Šolak was Sport Republic’s lead investor, but that price was for the investment and is not evidence that he personally paid the full amount.
Southampton’s leadership page identifies Šolak as the club’s ultimate beneficial owner and chairman, and describes him as United Group’s founder. Companies House records list him as a director of Southampton Football Club Limited and St Mary’s Football Group Limited, appointed on 22 December 2021: Companies House directorship records.
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In a June 2025 interview with BBC Sport, Šolak said, “I have never had any plans of selling the club,” and described “this 10-year project of how to develop the club commercially and financially”: BBC Sport’s interview, 19 June 2025. Those comments describe his stated plans for Southampton; they do not change the distinction between the club investment and the earlier source of his wealth.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the headline figures
| Figure | What it refers to |
|---|---|
| £1.4 billion | The Guardian’s estimate of Šolak’s wealth in its 2022 profile, mainly attributed to his reported United Group stake; not a current verified net-worth figure. |
| 33% | The United Group stake the Guardian reported Šolak retained in 2022. |
| 80% | The stake Sky Sports reported Sport Republic acquired in Southampton in 2022. |
| About £100 million | The Guardian’s reported price for Sport Republic’s Southampton investment; not a disclosed personal payment by Šolak. |
| €1.5 billion | United Group’s stated combined enterprise value for the specified asset sales in 2025; not Šolak’s personal proceeds. |
These figures describe different things: an individual wealth estimate, an ownership percentage, an acquisition price and the enterprise value of assets. They should not be treated as interchangeable measures of personal wealth.
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