'I made £120m profit with the Premier League giants and spent the next 15 years on the run'

Thaksin Shinawatra has more than doubled his money after just over a year at Manchester City. His rollercoaster time at the club, coupled with his captivating life story, made him an enduring figure.

The billionaire former telecommunications tycoon, now 75, became Thailand's prime minister in 2001, spending five years as the country's leading figure before being ousted in a military coup.

The government that replaced Shinawatra brought a number of accusations against him as he fled into exile in London. After flirting with investments at Liverpool and Fulham, Shinawatra eventually took control of City in 2007 for £81.6 million, shortly after escaping relegation from the Premier League by just four points.

Affectionately known as 'Frank', Shinawatra was an instant success in east Manchester. He hired Sven-Goran Eriksson to replace Stuart Pearce as manager and delivered on his promise to bring in glitzy recruits like Elano and Vedran Corluka.

City came out with a bang in the 2007/08 season, but slumped during the second half of the campaign. An 8-1 final day scoreline at Middlesbrough proved to be the end of Eriksson's tenure, and with the Blues heading towards financial turmoil, Shinawatra decided to sell.

Luckily for him, Sheikh Mansour was looking to invest his vast riches in the Premier League, and he took City out of his hands for a reported £200 million, meaning a handsome £120 million profit for 'Frank “.

Shinawatra was named “honorary president for life” by the city, although this title was later stripped as ongoing political unrest forced him into an additional 15 years of self-imposed exile.

Although the finer details of Shinawatra's personal life are hazy during this period, it is believed that he spent years in Dubai and still had access to much of his personal wealth, despite the freezing of its assets elsewhere.

Amid a longing to return to his homeland and be with his family, Shinawatra returned to Thailand last August, arriving on the exact date of the Pheu Thai Party vote. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power. , but this duration was quickly reduced to just one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Shinawatra was released after just six months, having spent time in a police hospital due to health problems. It is unclear whether he spent any time in a prison cell. Now free in Thailand, the man once known as “Frank” remains one of the most controversial figures in his country's history and a key part of Premier League folklore.