Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley's wealth has been estimated at up to £1.9 billion after netting £929 million in a single day through floating a 43% stake in his Sports World empire last February.
But Ashley has found no amount of success in the business world could have prepared him for the billionaires' playground that is the Premier League.
The 45-year-old faces arguably his biggest task in turning around a Newcastle United fanbase holdi
ng him responsible for the events leading up to the resignation of manager Kevin Keegan.
Ashley founded his sports goods business in 1982 and has taken Sports World from third place in the UK sportswear sector to top spot in the space of three years.
His Sports Direct International, which has 465 stores in five countries, owns the Sports World chain and London's landmark Lillywhites store as well as brands including Dunlop and Kangol.
The business has been criticised for not being close enough to shareholders and analysts, with some in the city critical of the way Ashley does business.
Very little was known of Ashley before his purchase of Newcastle thrust him into the limelight.
When he took over the club his then-chairman Chris Mort said he doesn't want to be a "larger-than-life character sitting in the front row of the directors' box" and would rather "sit with the fans in a black and white shirt" and take a "back-seat role".
It is an approach that sometimes backfired. Just weeks ago his portly frame was seen wearing a Newcastle shirt with "King Kev" emblazoned on the back, an image which will come back to haunt him.
He was once refused entry to a Newcastle city centre bar when he tried to enter while wearing his Newcastle shirt, although staff made an exception to the dress code when they discovered his identity.
Earlier this month Ashley "received words of advice" from police after he was spotted downing a pint in the stands.
The billionaire was caught on camera sinking a pint of beer in less than 15 seconds as his side headed towards a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
At the time a Newcastle United spokesman claimed Ashley had been told the drink was non-alcoholic, despite an Arsenal spokesman confirming the club did not sell non-alcoholic beer.
In March this year he reportedly lost millions of pounds in a share bet on Halifax Bank of Scotland after placing a succession of wagers with spread betting firm IG Index that HBOS's share price would rise in the early part of 2008.
With the UK's biggest mortgage lender's stock falling heavily earlier this year, the Sports World tycoon was said to be nursing losses running into tens of millions of pounds.
He is reported to have paid an estimated £50 million in a divorce settlement to his wife in 2002, but little is known of Mr Ashley's past and photographs are rare.
Ashley is thought to follow England games but before his takeover of Newcastle the Buckinghamshire native was said to have no particular club allegiance.
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