Manchester United's director of data Michael Sansoni has received industry recognition for his work at Old Trafford.
Sansoni has been named on the Leaders in Sport Under 40 list for 2026, which recognises "leaders who continually push boundaries in sport, rewrite the rules of the game, and make their mark on the industry".
Background and appointment
United appointed Sansoni as director of data two years ago. He was previously the senior performance engineer at the Mercedes F1 team, where he contributed to eight world championship-winning seasons.
Reacting to the award, Sansoni wrote: "Thank you to Leaders in Sport for this recognition, honoured to be part of the Under 40 Class of 2026."
"Thanks to Manchester United and the Data & AI team, who turn ambitious ideas into things that actually work. Proud to be a part of it, and excited for what's ahead."
Role and responsibilities
Sansoni's profile on the Leaders in Sport list reads: "Mike joined Manchester United as director of data and AI in April 2025."
"He is responsible for building the in-house data engineering, science, analytics, software engineering and AI function across the club, spanning football, commercial and wider club operations."
"His focus areas include advanced statistical methods and Bayesian inference, the application of insight at pace, modernisation of the club’s technology stack, and the integration of enterprise AI transformation."
Impact at United
In an interview with the United We Stand magazine before Sansoni's arrival, Sir Jim Ratcliffe slammed the data department at Old Trafford, suggesting it required improvement to help with recruitment.
Since joining the club, Sansoni has received financial backing to invest in United's data department and has made new hires. The data team at United has grown while other departments have shrunk due to redundancies.
Following the signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo last summer, Sansoni said United had made "meaningful progress" with "new methodologies starting to take shape and two fantastic signings".
The data department creates a long list of potential signings for each position in the squad. United still use traditional scouting methods, but the club has scaled back its scouting network over the last few years.
