HULL City owner Assem Allam admits leading the club back into the Premier League just two years after saving it from the brink of going out of business would be one of the proudest moments of his life.
The 73-year-old multi-millionaire's investment into the Tigers will stand at around £66m by the time the season comes to a close and the Tigers' fate has been decided.
And the Egyptian owner admits it would be more than he dared dream of when kicking off the season in August, with the Tigers rank outsiders to be challenging for promotion.
"If we were promoted to the Premier League it would be one of the proudest moments of my life," Allam told the Mail
"Some of the other moments in my life which stand out include meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace for my company's Queens Award, and of course receiving my doctorate from Hull University, that means so much to me.
"But getting Hull City back into the Premier League is not about personal satisfaction or personal achievement, it is about the community, and giving this region a Premier League football club again. That would be one of my proudest moments.
"I don't think any of us here in August had imagined or dreamed of talking about automatic promotion.
"Our dream was to be in the play-offs. Now we have been in the top two for a while, which is very good. It looks promising and we can only do our best and in Steve Bruce we are lucky to have a very good manager."
Allam first became involved with the Tigers during their first ill-fated two-year spell in the Premier League when his company Allam Marine became a sponsor of the club.
As City tumbled out of the top flight with debts threatening the club's existence, it was only Allam and his son Ehab who were prepared to stop City entering administration, and the prospect of heading into free-fall, as many other clubs have in recent times.
Now, with City sitting second in the Championship with only eight games remaining and their destiny in their own hands, Allam says a return to the top flight under Steve Bruce would be 'worth every penny' of his huge investment.
"Of course it would be worth every penny, but you can't really put a money value on this," he added.
"There is nothing we could do better for the area's reputation and image than getting this club back into the Premier League. When we are in the Premier League, nobody asks 'where is Hull?'
"When the club was in the Premier League I used to travel around a lot on business and people would talk about Hull and the fact we had a Premier League team.
"It brings many benefits – even to businesses, who suddenly find it easier to recruit managers for their companies because more people are interested in being here. It is very important for the community and the whole area's future.
"It is vital for the whole community to have a Premier League club, it is a huge thing for the area."
