Leicester City fans pay respect to Khun Vichai as former Chairman's statue opens to public
It was unveiled privately on Monday to friends, family and former team-mates
Last updated 5th Apr 2022
The statue commemorating Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was opened to the public this morning, and fans have been visiting the King Power to get a look.
With the words "the possible man" inscribed on the side, the statue acts as a reminder to Leicester fans and the footballing world that without the former owner, the club would likely be in a very different position to where they are today.
After Vichai, more commonly known to players as "the boss", took over the club as Chairman in 2010, Leicester went on to win the Championship and Premier League Title.
By overseeing the club win the Premier League he was responsible for making Leicester fans' dreams come true, and what many consider one of the greatest achievements in football.
The statue was privately unveiled by his son and Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha on Monday (5th April) to a host of guests, including members of the title-winning squad, and former managers.
Members of Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and the East Midlands Ambulance Service were also in attendance.
The plaque on the back of the statue reads:
"Khun Vichai led Leicester City's improbable ascent to the summit of English Football, giving supporters of every club the right to dream.
"A major benefactor to his adopted city of Leicester and a man under whose vision our communities came together.
"Commissioned and gifted by the Srivaddhanaprabha family and unveiled by Chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha on 4 April, 2022."
See how Vichai fitted into club history in our Fall & Rise of Leicester City gallery
First Division triumphs
Leicester's appointment of Martin O'Neill before the 1995-96 Division Two season saw them promoted to the Premiership, thanks to playoff victory that year. From 1996-2000, Leicester became a firmly established First Division side with four successive top-ten finishes under O'Neill. The Foxes won the League Cup twice (1997, 2000) and qualified for European football for the first time since 1961-2. O'Neill is widely regarded as one of the club's most succesfull managers.
Relegation to the second tier
After O'Neill left to join Celtic and a disappointing couple of seasons in the top flight, Leicester were relegated to the second tier of English football by the end of the 2001-2 season. They also played their last game at the club's historic Filbert Street ground.
Entering administration
Leicester fans' spirits were lifted as they moved into their new 32,000-seat stadium, but the club quickly fell into administration in October 2002 with debts of £30m. There were monetary issues over the loss of TV money, large wage bills, lower than expected fees for sold players and the cost of the £37m new stadium. Despite fan fears for their club, there was once again hope after a takeover in 2003 by a consortium led by Gary Lineker. Micky Adams also led Leicester to automatic promotion, but they come straight back down again next season.
League 1 winners
From 2004-2008 Leicester had firmly become a championship side, before their shock relegation to League One on 4 May 2008 - the first time in the club's history. But, with Nigel Pearson taking the reigns off Ian Holloway, Leicester were promoted back to the Championship by winning the league after leading most of the season.
Championship winners
After the takeover of Leicester City in 2011 by Thai duty free brand King Power, the club were favourites for promotion back to the Premier League. It took the club until the 2012-13 season to get close enough to promotion, but agonisingly suffered play-off heartbreak at the hands of Watford and Deeney, who scored a 97th minute goal to after Leicester's Anthony Knockaert missed a penalty. Leicester City came back the next season in style, and were automatically promoted as champions.
Premier League Winners
After narrowly avoiding relegation in their first season back in the Premier League in over a decade, Leicester shocked the sporting world in 2016. As 5000-1 outsiders, the Foxes defied all odds and won the Premier League title with two games to spare, in what will arguably be one of the greatest triumphs in football history.
FA Cup winners
Since winning the title, Leicester have once again re-established themselves an ambitious club firmly situated in English football's top flight. After two consecutive fifth-place finishes in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 season, Leicester won the club's first ever FA cup, beating Champions League winners Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley.
Community Shield Winners
Leicester continue to consolidate their position among the elite clubs in English football in the 2021/22 season, beating Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Community Shield.