Russell Crowe says he will not lead a bid to buy English football club Leeds United, despite investigating the possibility.

The actor – best known for his role in Gladiator – bought NRL club South Sydney in 2006 with businessman Peter Holmes à Court.

He ploughed money into the Rabbitohs and helped lead their return to glory, which culminated in last year’s premiership success.

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So when Crowe, a lifelong Leeds fan, pondered on Twitter whether he should buy the club in February, the response was very positive.

Leeds – three-time English champions and once home to ex-Australia captain Mark Viduka – now play in the second division after more than a decade of financial trouble.

Crowe said in March he was ‘getting a little impatient’ with Leeds’ bid to return to the lucrative English Premier League and that he wanted ‘nothing but success’ for the club.

Leeds are currently owned by Italian Massimo Cellino, who has previously been convicted for false accounting.

But Crowe’s interest in buying the club appears to have ended after a series of posts on Twitter.

And while he said he had “loved Leeds all my life” and that it was a “massive opportunity” for someone, he could not commit to the purchase because he didn’t want to spend so much time away from his kids.

#1 @LUFC These are my discoveries, my musings and my personal truth.

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#2 I stand by my belief that LUFC is a massive opportunity. When my trusted associates tested the idea… We found multiple potential…

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#3 … I’m 51, I answered questions on a topic, a passion…I did not create the agenda… As you may well know…

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#4 in 2006 I took over the 1908 formed South Sydney Rugby League team. 9 years of hard yakka later we broke a 43 year drought and won!!

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#5 so… I know what it takes . I’ve been through it, I look at the Mighty Leeds opportunity and I evaluate it through the time stolen …

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#6 from my kids. Economics tell the folks in my organisation we could smash this, but, I know the personal toll it takes, and I know …

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#7 without my actual hands on the wheel in Leeds I can’t guarantee investors a return. I’ve loved Leeds all my life. I will always.

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#8 I will not though steal anymore time from my children. It’s that simple.

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

#9 think about this…there’s a hundred thousand who will match on together at least, stand up Leeds … Stand and be counted

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 25, 2015

Crowe finished on Twitter by posting the title of the club’s anthem, ‘Marching on Together’.

Viduka is just one of 15 Australians who have been members of Leeds United’s first-team squad in the last 25 years.

Others include Harry Kewell, Tony Dorigo and Patrick Kisnorbo and it is because of this that the club remains immensely popular in Australia.