FORMER Leicester and Portsmouth owner Milan Mandaric has passed away aged 87.
The Croatian left a lasting legacy on English football.
GettyMilan Mandaric has passed away aged 87[/caption]
PA:Press AssociationHe worked with Harry Redknapp to lead Portsmouth to the Premier League in 2003[/caption]
He guided Portsmouth to the Premier League with Harry Redknapp as manager in 2003 – marking their first spell in the top flight since 1987-88.
Pompey stayed in the Prem for seven years, and went on to win the FA Cup two years after Mandaric departed.
Following promotion Mandaric was given the Freedom of the City of Portsmouth.
After leaving the south coast he then bought Leicester City in 2007.
The Foxes were relegated from the Championship for the first time in the club’s history in his first season in charge,
But Mandaric overaw a title-winning campaign the following season after he appoined Nigel Pearson, who later took Leicester to the Premier League.
Mandaric had sold the club by that point, leaving the summer after Leicester finished in the Championship play-offs in 2009-10.
He sold Leicester for around £40million to the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt – the pair who took Leicester up before winning the Premier League in 2016.
After leaving Leicester Mandaric bought Sheffield Wednesday in 2010, and again won promotion from the third tier.
He spent five years in charge of the Owls before selling the club to current owner Dejphon Chansiri for £37.5million.
Mandaric first became involved in football when he set-up FC Lika, before launching the San Jose Earthquakes and the Connecticut Bicentennials.
He also bought a stake in Standard Liege and owned another Belgian team, R. Charleroi S.C.
After that he purchased Nice and won the Coupe de France in 1997, though they were relegated in the same year.
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