Popular Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha profiled

A helicopter belonging to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was engulfed in flames after taking off from the King Power Stadium following his side’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Srivaddhanaprabha usually departs the King Power inside his private helicopter after home games alongside other members of the club’s hierarchy.

Here, Sportsmail profiles Srivaddhanaprabha’s success in and out of football, including how he helped Leicester win the Premier League title in 2016.

Sportsmail profiles the career of Leicester City’s Thai owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha

He bought the club for £39m in 2010 and the Thai billionaire led them to a Premier League title

He bought the club for £39m in 2010 and the Thai billionaire led them to a Premier League title

Srivaddhanaprabha was born in Bangkok on April 4, 1958 to a Thai Chinese family. 

The Thai billionaire Srivaddhanaprabha kick-started his business journey by opening a duty free shop back in Bangkok in 1989 at the age of 31. 

His retail company, King Power, is now a staple of the country’s airports and the brand also have the naming rights to Leicester City’s stadium.

Having been the club’s primary shirt sponsor for the three previous seasons, he wanted to step up his involvement and opted to go all in and become owner. 

He is popular among players and is regularly in attendance for matches at the King Power

He is popular among players and is regularly in attendance for matches at the King Power

Buying the club for a reported £39million in 2010 proved a shrewd investment as he oversaw a meteoric rise which saw the Foxes historically win the Premier League title in 2015-16. 

When he took over, the club had just earned promotion from League One, the third tier in the English football pyramid, and with Nigel Pearson trusted to remain in charge, the Foxes were quickly back in the Premier League.  

According to Forbes, the Midlands club is now valued at £371m after becoming a staple of the top half in the league under Srivaddhanaprabha’s reign. 

Ranked as fifth on Forbes’ Thailand rich list, Srivaddhanaprabha has built his empire up to a staggering $4.9billion (£3.8bn). 

He is fifth on the Thailand richlist of billionaires and is said to be worth close to £4billion

He is fifth on the Thailand richlist of billionaires and is said to be worth close to £4billion

After enjoying rich success with Leicester – which saw them defy all the odds in reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League,  Srivaddhanaprabha bought Belgian club OH Leuven in May 2017.

The club reside in the Brlgian second division but could act as a real beneficiary for young players at Leicester in the future.  

Srivaddhanaprabha is a keen football supporter and has continued to put money into the Foxes with his son Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha involved as club vice-chairman.

He is married to Aimon Srivaddhanaprabha, and has four children Voramas, Apichet, Arunroong, and Aiyawatt. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk