Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha: The late billionaire has become an idol in Leicester. He got the club back on its feet and did a lot for the city itself

Leicester City? Everyone immediately thinks of the legendary 2016 title. One of football’s greatest stories. Today, this is a traditional team that is counted among the wider English top flight. But that wasn’t the case before. For Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha built the club and the city and this is his story.

It started in 2010 for just €39 million

Today, Leicester City are among the Premier League’s elite. But that wasn’t the case just a few years ago. He has been among England’s elite since 2014. And they owe that to one man. None other than the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

The year was 2010. Leicester were playing in England’s second league at the time, having returned to it a year later after promotion from the third division. The founder of King Power decided to buy the club. And that’s what he did. It’s hard to believe today, but the price of Leicester City at the time was €39 million, or just over 955 million crowns.

Of course, it wasn’t that simple. The Foxes were plagued by debt at the time. However, the Thai rich man covered those too and healed the club in every way. Including the purchase of the stadium. He brought heart, soul and strategy to the team.

In 2014, the team from the non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire was promoted to the English elite. His words, uttered shortly after buying the club, about wanting to play Champions League with the team soon, began to be taken a little more seriously.

It’s worth noting that players like Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy were there for the promotion to the Premier League. The backbone of a team that would go on to produce a miracle just two years later.

Vichai gave his all not only for the club but also for the city

However, the Thai businessman did not only put his money into the football club. He looked after the fans, among other things. Although he did not comment too much in public, he was reserved, however, the beer or doughnuts at the stadium were free. In addition, he organized outdoor trips for the fans, who thus again had less financial costs.

And that was not all. Srivaddhanaprabha also invested in the city at large. For example, he financially supported the medical department of the University of Leicester, the Royal Infirmary and the creation of a new children’s hospital. Overall, he gave a lot of money to charitable causes.

So it wasn’t just the players behind Vichai. It was the whole city of nearly half a million people. He was able to bring everything together as one team. That alone was a great achievement. But no one expected what happened to follow.

Why did he buy Leicester City? He joked that it was because of the club’s colours, which were the same as those of his company, King Power. But the reality was that he liked Leicester and the people in it. The fans were dubious at first. But that doubt soon turned into something very different.

Vichai supported the club at most games. When he wasn’t there, his son was in the stands. He was always at the centre of the club’s affairs. That’s what won him over. He tried to be close to everyone, even explaining unpopular moves, including the sacking of Claudio Raniere. And it wasn’t hard to trust him.

A miracle! The first season ended with a narrow rescue, the second with an unexpected title

Immediately after promotion to the Premier League, Leicester weren’t much to reckon with. It was a team that was one of the underdogs of the competition and in fact, until the very end, it looked like that in the table. We would find the Foxes in 14th place after the end of the 2014/15 season with only a six-point lead over the first relegated team.

If it wasn’t for three wins in the last five rounds, the East Midlands city could have been second in the league again. But fate would have it otherwise. It didn’t look at all like Leicester City were going to be hoisting the trophy for English champions over their heads in a year’s time. But it did.

Coach Claudio Ranieri has worked a miracle with his team. The odds of winning the whole league were 5000 to 1. The value of the squad at the time was just 161 million euros. Ten teams were worth more. Chelsea led the way with a value of over 550 million.

However, it all fell into place. Leicester lost only three times that season, picked up very narrow victories and needed 81 points to win the title. Fewer points have been enough to win the Premier League title only twice since 2000. On both occasions it was Manchester United (2001 and 2011), when the Red Devils needed 80 points.

Even so, Arsenal were an abysmal 10 points behind the Foxes in second. This only speaks volumes about how everything went well for Leicester’s well-assembled squad. Including the frequent losses of the favourites who were supposed to be fighting for the title.

Vichai rewarded the players handsomely for the title. He paid for the celebrations, plus he gave them gifts. New cars, for example. I wish I hadn’t. After all, it was the first title in the club’s history!

The following season, Leicester finished 12th, but lost some stars and still reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Since then, however, they have been one of the top teams in the league. The competition is huge though, so it’s hard to keep up with the top four.

In 2018, Vichai tragically passed away, but his legacy lives on

Saturday, October 27, 2018. Leicester host West Ham in a league match. The match ends in a 1-1 draw As it did the season after, when the club barely saved the league, there was no indication on this day that the close events would go down in history. But they did. But this time in a very different sense.

While the title celebrations were the finest moment in the club’s history, October 27, 2018 is the exact opposite. For after the match, owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died in a helicopter crash right in the parking lot of the stadium. In all, 5 lives were lost during the incident.

The great tragedy has once again united the whole of Leicester and the surrounding area. It was incredible to see the mark that the Thai businessman left on the community. But he built an atmosphere that even this painful event did not break. On the contrary.

Moreover, the club is now owned by his son Aiyawatt, who has learned a lot from his father. And it must be said, he’s following him with more than dignity. Four years after Vichai’s death, Leicester is still one of the most feared clubs. It still enjoys the support of the fans and is still a respected team.

Source: The Guardian, Sky Sports, Sportbible, Leicester City