Former owner of Leicester, Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday Milan Mandarić has died
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
On October 4, 2025, renowned football executive and businessman Milan Mandarić passed away at the age of 87.
Details: According to the BBC, Mandarić died in a Belgrade hospital after a short illness.
Mandarić, born in Novi Sad, Serbia, began his journey in English football in 1999 when he acquired Portsmouth. He later took the helm at Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday. In recent years, he served as vice president of Serbian club Vojvodina.
“His love for football was second only to his love for his family. He will be deeply missed by his two daughters and three grandchildren,” the family statement read.
Mandarić took over Portsmouth when the club was on the brink of bankruptcy. Under his leadership, the team earned promotion to the Premier League and, in 2003, won the Championship title under Harry Redknapp. He later sold the club for £32 million.
In 2007, the businessman bought Leicester for £6 million, and just two years later the team returned to the Championship by winning League One. After this successful season, Mandarić sold the club to Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha for £40 million.
His last English football project was Sheffield Wednesday, which he purchased for a symbolic £1 to save the club from debt. In 2012, the team earned promotion to the Championship, and three years later Mandarić sold the club for £37.5 million.
