Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich talks to an unidentified man at Stamford Bridge (AFP file)
Dubai - Russian billionaire Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003
Published: Mon 7 Aug 2017, 3:59 PM
Updated: Mon 7 Aug 2017, 9:10 PM
Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova have decided to end their 10-year marriage.
The celebrity couple made the announcement on Monday.
"After 10 years together, the two of us have made the difficult decision to separate, but we remain close friends, parents and partners in the projects we developed together," Abramovich and Zhukova, a Russian-American, said in a joint-statement.
"We are committed to jointly raising our two children. We will also continue to work together as co-founders of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow and the New Holland Island cultural center in Saint Petersburg."
Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova at Stamford Bridge during a Chelsea match (AFP file)
Zhukova, the former girlfriend of Russian tennis legend Marat Safin, first met Abramovich at a party in New York.
Abramovich and Zhukova have a son (Aaron Alexander) and a daughter (Leah Lou).
Abramovich, the 151st richest man in the world with a net worth of $7.6 billion dollars, made Chelsea of the biggest teams in European club football. Abramovich bought the club in 2003 and spent big money to bring top players to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have won five Premier League titles in the Abramovich era.
They have also won one Champions League title (2012) and one Europa League title (2013).
Before Abramovich came on board, Chelsea had won only one English league title (1955).