How exactly did Sunderland AFC's owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus make his cash? | OneFootball

A look at how Kyril Louis-Dreyfus acquired his fortune.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has played an integral part in Sunderland's revival, with the club rising from League One mediocrity to Championship promotion contenders in the space of four years.

The 27-year-old has put more money into the acquisition of new players in recent times, with the club's obligation to buy Enzo Le Fee for £16m a sign of his ambition.

Louis-Dreyfus is one of the more iconic owners in the Football League due to his age, but just how did he manage to obtain his wealth?

Louis-Dreyfus the heir to a £4b fortune

The Louis-Dreyfus name was already one that was synonymous with football before the then 23-year-old had his takeover approved at the Stadium of Light, making him the youngest chairman in English football.

His father, Robert, held several significant positions during his career, working as the CEO of Adidas and Saatchi & Saatchi as well as being the majority shareholder of Olympique Marseille.

At a young age, Kyril was exposed to the world of professional football and was often seen in the company of Marseille's players and staff as a child.

Kyril's father was also involved in the Louis-Dreyfus Group, who were an established merchant firm involved in agriculture, food processing, international shipping and finance. Margarita, Kyril's mother, is currently the chairperson of the group.

The 27-year-old is the heir to a staggering £4b fortune, as per The Sun, and after his father passed away, he has been using the dynasty built by his parents to fund Sunderland.

Louis-Dreyfus has shown commitment to Sunderland with increased spending

While Louis-Dreyfus has sometimes been criticised for his lack of spending over the years, he has surely put that noise to bed with his recent business.

During the summer window, the Black Cats signed Milan Aleksic for a reported £3.1m, which was an increase of £600,000 on his previous record signing, Nazariy Rusyn.

The January transfer window was one which got everyone talking, with the club reportedly putting in a host of substantial loan-to-buy bids for players like Tom Cannon and Matija Frigan.

However, the standout deal of the window was the acquisition of Enzo Le Fee, who joined on loan with an obligation to buy for £16m upon the club securing promotion to the Premier League.

If Sunderland do achieve promotion, then the £16m deal would surpass Louis-Dreyfus' previous spend by some distance at more than five times the amount spent on signing Aleksic.

There is clearly confidence that the Black Cats can reach the Premier League and Sunderland's owner has shown his commitment to the cause by sanctioning such deals.

While owners are often criticised, nobody can question the progress Sunderland have made during Louis-Dreyfus' tenure at the club.

Despite his young years, he has managed to use his wealth to guide the Wearsiders back up the Football League, with his eyes firmly set on the Premier League.