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There are few things as common in English football these days as an unpopular owner or chairman.

Barely a week seems to pass without some expression of righteous hatred aimed at those in the stands. From the seemingly benign (Randy Lerner, Stan Kroenke) to the more nefarious (the Glazers, Roland Duchatelet) and the downright bizarre (Massimo Cellino, Venky's), we have not lacked for pantomime villains in recent years.

But there are exceptions to the rule. And perhaps it should come as no surprise that Leicester , in this season of trend-bucking , appear to be pretty satisfied with their moneyed overlord.

(Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty) (Image: Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine)

Handing out free doughnuts and beer will tend to buy you a certain degree of favour, granted. But even before his birthday celebrations, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – known by most simply as Khun Vichai – had already been embraced.

Since arriving at the club in 2010, as the key player in the Asian Football Investments (AFI) consortium, the Thai has led investment that has changed the club's fortunes. Transfer spending has risen, as has the wage bill. Perhaps the most significant contribution came in December 2013, when he converted £103million of debt into shares – a signal of his intention to ensure stability in the long term.

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(Image: Plumb Images)

Vichai has come a long way since entering the world of business 25 years ago. He launched duty-free retailer King Power back in 1989, initially as a single shop in the centre of Bangkok. An expansion into two major airports led to huge growth, the company benefitting from a boom in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand.

Three shopping complexes have also proven to be sound investments, helping take Vichai's personal fortune into the stratosphere. Forbes now value him at around £2billion, making him the fourth richest man in Thailand.

There are signs of ostentation that tally with that wealth: he loves polo, owns a Gulfstream G650 jet and travels to and from games by a helicopter, which often lands in the centre of the pitch at the King Power Stadium. The name Srivaddhanaprabha underlines his importance in his homeland; it is an honorary title awarded by the king of Thailand.

Read more:Player-by-player guide to the champions

(Image: Action Images via Reuters / Carl Recine)

Yet Vichai is viewed as something of a people's champion. There are the free drinks, of course, but also a scheme that subsidises fans' travel to away games, capping the cost at £10 per supporter. That is a small dent in his bank balance, but makes a big difference.

Of course, all this would be fairly meaningless were Leicester struggling on the field. But Vichai's plans have come to fruition in mesmerising style. In May 2014, he said that he was willing to spend £180million to take the Foxes into the top five within three years. They've trumped that in two, spending less than half of that amount on transfers.

Much of that, of course, is down to the brilliance of the scouts , Claudio Ranieri's renaissance and the startling performances of the players .

But the man watching from high in the stands also deserves a sizable slice of the credit.