MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Against the geopolitical backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, a consortium led by American private equity titans took the opportunity to acquire one of soccer’s crown jewels.

What followed at Chelsea was torrid and, at times, bewildering.

Unprecedented spending. A carousel of coaches. Dramatic on-field collapses and the deployment of financial mechanisms that looked more at home on Wall Street than in sport.

Not to mention ridicule — by the truckload — as the new U.S. owners seemed to make one misstep after another in the unforgiving world of elite soccer.

Then, in July, Chelsea was crowned world champion .

The journey from chaos to the top of the world was as rapid as it was unconventional.

Shaking up soccer

Co-owner Todd Boehly b

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