Claudio Ranieri pays tribute to the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
‘His positivity and ability to make everybody love him was clear for all to see’: Former Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri pays tribute to the club’s late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
- Claudio Ranieri has paid his respects to the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
- Ranieri said he was ‘terribly shaken’ by the Leicester owner’s death on Saturday
- The Foxes chairman’s helicopter tragically crashed outside King Power Stadium
- Ranieri said: ‘He was a good man and always had a positive word for everyone’
Claudio Ranieri was ‘terribly shaken’ by the death of Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who tragically died in Saturday night’s helicopter crash.
The Italian was famously known for guiding the Foxes to the pinnacle of English football as they defied the 5000/1 odds by winning the Premier League title in 2016.
Srivaddhanaprabha was a hugely popular figure at the club as he oversaw their rise from the Championship as well as the title-winning campaign, with Ranieri the latest in a long line of people to speak highly of the club’s late owner.
Claudio Ranieri (R) has paid his respects to the late Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
Ranieri and Srivaddhanaprabha (L) helped Leicester defy the odds and win the league title
‘I was terribly shaken by the news,’ Ranieri told Sky Sport Italia.
‘He was a good man and always had a positive word for everyone. His positivity and ability to make everybody love him was clear for all to see. He came into the locker room only to dispense kind words, never to reproach you.
‘One time soon after my birthday, he arrived in the locker room with a huge cake and made everyone sing “Happy Birthday”.
‘He was an illuminated man and everything he touched became better. Now it’s up to his son, who has always been in love with football, to carry on in his father’s footsteps.
The Italian was manager when the Foxes to the pinnacle of English football in 2016
Ranieri said Srivaddhanaprabha was ‘a good man and always had a positive word for everyone’
‘I remember when we first met that I immediately thought he was a positive person, full of energy. My objective when I arrived at Leicester was to secure Premier League safety, then we all know what happened.
‘Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha made a very important contribution to the Premier League victory, as he’d arrive 30 minutes before the game to embrace everyone. He never said a word out of turn, was always happy with a smile on his face.
‘I am so sad right now, I want to join the family in their grief.’
Jamie Vardy and his Leicester team-mates paid their respects to Srivaddhanaprabha at the King Power stadium on Monday as his son, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, laid a wreath in the centre circle alongside his mother Aimon.
Jamie Vardy broke down into tears as he mourned the death of Srivaddhanaprabha on Monday
The Leicester players gathered around the centre circle in a moment of reflection
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