Roman Abramovich

Net Worth: $ 12.5 billion

Primary Source: Sibneft, Russian Aluminum (quote), oil, metals
Age: 37
Marital Status: Married for the second time, five children

Abramovich lost his parents as a child, dropped out of college and then made a fortune in a series of controversial oil export deals in the early 1990s. His fortune really took off in 1995 when he teamed up with Russia's most powerful crony capitalist, Boris Berezovsky, to take over oil giant Sibneft at a fraction of its market value. When Berezovsky fled Russia in 2000 to escape fraud charges, he sold out to Abramovich. Now, besides Sibneft, Abramovich has interests in aluminum, TV and automobiles--all held by British-registered Millhouse Capital. He is spending his fortune conspicuously, including $400 million to buy London's Chelsea football club and some of the world's best players.