By Ryan Taylor
Meet Hull City owner Acun Ilicali, the captivating Turkish media magnate that has shaken up the Championship.
At the age of just 24, he was clinically depressed and barely had a penny to his name following the devastating loss of both parents in a tragic road accident.
Yet after battling back from the depths of unimaginable despair, the resilient TV tycoon is incensed promotion to the mirror.co.uk/all-about/premier-league> Premier League with Hull is not where his remarkable rags to riches story ends.
"If we go to the Premier League it will only be half of my dream," declares Ilicali. "Why can't we be another Leicester? My dream is not completed with promotion, all I want is to see my team play in European competitions."
Ilicali, who completed his £30million takeover of the Tigers in January 2022, is a self-confessed lover of English football as his rejuvenated side sit just three points outside the play-offs.
But away from the club he adores dearly, he is also a relentless businessman, entrepreneur, TV personality and crucially, the integral driving force behind one of the world's top three media production companies; Acun Medya.
The 54-year-old multi-millionaire is even the presenter of Turkey's equivalent of The Voice, though there is more to his repertoire than being a showman.
Ilicali has built his glittering reputation via relationships and fulfilling promises - qualities that have allowed Hull supporters to dream again.
He continued: "If you believe in the words magic and destiny, that's why I bought Hull City. I had five different opportunities when I decided to buy a club and by some chance, I started looking at Hull.
"When I spent some time in the city, I saw beautiful people around me and I saw this huge bridge [Humber Bridge] that looks like the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul. I've always liked places near the seaside in my life because Miami is my favourite place in the world and then when I was in the stadium, this felt like the place I should be."
Ilicali's unique connection with Hull fans is an imperative ingredient behind his quest for success and it stems from his humble beginnings.
The Tigers chief, who supplied fresh water and temporary housing to assist the millions affected by the Turkey earthquakes last February, added: "I'm going to every home game from either the Dominican Republic which is an eight-hour flight or from Turkey. I don't think there are more crazy owners than me around but I try to give as much energy as I can to the players and the coach.
"I can say that it's God's gift to me that I have good connections with people, it's why I went from zero to hero in Turkey. I had no money and saw the bottom of life and now I've experienced both hard and good circumstances. All the fanbase wants to feel is they're one part of one family. Without fans, football is nothing."
Hull were 21st in the table when Liam Rosenior arrived amid conversations with "important coaches from Europe".
But he's repaid Ilicali's faith according to the Turk: "I see the players giving everything and that comes from one man: Liam, who has always made us proud of the team."
Ilicali's methodical approach to business is reflected in Hull's recent transfer dealings following the eye-catching acquisitions of Fabio Carvalho, Tyler Morton, Liam Delap, Jaden Philogene and Abdulkadir Omur, once the subject of a £20m bid from Manchester City.
"We can be very sure that all of the transfers we make are working now," explains Ilicali. "With Carvalho, it was a dream because he was a Champions League player. He belongs to Liverpool but we used all of our efforts to make it happen and at the end of the day, there is a team for a young talent to improve.
"Morton was selected for England U21s when he started playing with us. It shows that our coach improves every player with his coaching talent. Delap and Philogene's numbers show the big improvements they have made with us. It had a big effect on us convincing Carvalho to join.
"The nose of the plane should be up so we can go higher and higher. You can call our project Mission Improvement. There are £20m-plus players in the squad that belong to us and I believe it will help lead to better positioning in the future."
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