Ratcliffe, the son of a joiner, was born in Greater Manchester and grew up on a council estate
In the coming days, Sir Jim Ratcliffe should discover if the Football Association's legal team has decided the Manchester United co-owner brought the game into disrepute with his comments on immigration last week, which sparked condemnation from the government and beyond.
The governing body could decide his remarks reached the threshold required for him to be charged with a breach of its rules, it could write to the billionaire to remind him of his responsibilities, or it could choose to take no action at all.
But whatever the FA does, the impact of his claim that the UK had been "colonised by immigrants" - while citing incorrect population data - could be felt for some time to come.
Regardless of the fact Ratcliffe also received support in some quarters for raising the issue of immigration in his interview with Sky News, the fact United felt the need to issue a statement that read like a public rebuke towards their own co-owner was a sign of the dismay felt at Old Trafford - along with concern at the potential cost of the backlash his words provoked.
