The imprints of Leicester City Club President

Vichai was born in 1957 to a Thai-Chinese family. He married Aimon Srivaddhanaprabha, with whom he has four children. Vichai has always shown ingenuity in navigating Thailand's recent political turmoil to make his empire increasingly successful.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is a Thai retail tycoon and the chairman and CEO of the country's leading retail group, King Power. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha founded King Power in 1989, opening its first store at Mahatun Plaza in Bangkok. He later opened the first duty-free store at Don Muang Airport.

Mr. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was granted a duty-free license there. He gradually gained control of most of the retail space at Suvarnabhumi Airport. King Power's revenue soared as Chinese tourists to Thailand surged. The group also owns three major shopping malls in Bangkok.

In 2007, businessman Vichai Raksriaksorn ranked only 21st on Forbes' list of Thailand's richest people. At that time, he owned 200 million USD. But after nearly a decade, billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabh's assets reached 3.3 billion USD. He is the 7th richest person in the Land of Golden Pagodas.

In 2013, his family was granted a royal surname by the king. “Any company that wants long-term government support in Thailand cannot be without political savvy,” said Pavida Pananond of Thammasat University in Bangkok. “Vichai’s frequent appearances with celebrities and royals, both Thai and foreign, confirm his connections are unmatched.”

Vichai's success now extends to football

Mr Vichai bought Leicester for more than $50m (£39m) in 2010, when the club was still in the First Division and heavily indebted from previous owner Milan Mandaric. Thanks to his investment, the team continued to improve and created one of the greatest stories in football history when they won the Premier League in the 2015-2016 season.

Leicester supporters gave Vichai a warm welcome when he bought the club in 2010 for £40 million ($58 million). Leicester were in dire straits at the time. As the new Premier League champions, Leicester were now worth many times what Vichai had paid for them a few years earlier.

Billionaire Vichai holds the 2014 Championship trophy that helped Leicester get promoted. Photo:Getty

The Thai billionaire lent Leicester £100 million in his first four years in charge. He then converted it all into shares, meaning he would not be able to get that money back and abandoned the club. Huge debts that had accumulated over the years were wiped out. From a team on the brink of bankruptcy, the "Foxes" were revived with solid legs thanks to the backing of a Southeast Asian billionaire.

Leicester did not spare any money when buying players in those years. Sometimes, the contracts brought in were not really successful, but showed the determination of the entire board of directors to bring the best things every time Leicester took the field.

Chairman Vichai helped the entire city of Leicester change its appearance. Photo:Getty.

Chairman Vichai showed that he knew how to motivate the team by not only being present regularly to watch, but also continuously sponsoring fans with material things to create a passionate atmosphere at King Power Stadium. The Thai billionaire even invited monks to pray for Leicester's luck. Simple actions but showing the owner's concern kept the team's spirit high throughout the long season. "Leicester's success is thanks to Mr. Vichai", commented the President of the Football Association of Thailand - Somyot Poompanmoung: "He cares for the players, like a father to his children. He is very close to them". Somyot has also known Vichai for more than 30 years.

Then, in May 2017, Vichai bought his second football club, OH Leuven in Belgium. Before football, Vichai loved polo. Both he and his son Top were excellent players, he owned the VR Polo Club in Bangkok and was chairman of the Ham Polo Club in London from 2008 to 2012.

Mr. Vichai with the players on the training ground. Photo:AFP

The last image captured of the Thai owner's helicopter after the match between Leicester and West Ham in the 10th round of the Premier League. Photo:BT Sport.

This is a big shock for the entire Leicester team and football fans in general.

Since the news broke, football fans around the world have been praying for the Thai billionaire, hoping that he will survive this incident. However, there was no fairy tale and the chairman of King Power Group has passed away.

Early on the morning of October 29, the English club's homepage posted an official announcement confirming that the Thai owner had died in the recent accident. Leicester City's representative wrote: "The club is heartbroken to announce that our chairman, Mr. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those who lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four others crashed outside the King Power Stadium. None of the five people survived."

Leicester City FC confirms Chairman Vichai died in plane crash.

"In Vichai, the world has lost a wonderful, kind and generous man whose life was defined by the love he had for his family and those he led," Leicester added.

A memorial service will be held at 8am on October 30 (UK time) for fans who wish to pay their respects to the family of the Thai billionaire. Those who are unable to visit the King Power Stadium can leave their condolences online on the club's website.

In addition, the club's upcoming matches against Southampton and Feyenoord will be postponed to allow for the proper funeral of Chairman Vichai. All members of the club express their emotions and send their deepest thanks to football fans around the world for their messages of solidarity and support during this difficult time.