Katzen grew up in Cape Town with childhood dreams of becoming a professional soccer player.
Today he co-owns UK Premier League team Swansea City, which scored a R994-million jackpot three weeks ago when the team joined the ranks of elite football clubs.
Ten years ago the heavily indebted club was purchased for a mere R11.
Katzen, who studied chartered accounting at the University of Cape Town, owns a 20% stake in the club, which was catapulted into the Premier League after a 4-2 win over Reading in a playoff at London's Wembley Stadium on May 30.
The win drew tears of joy from loyal fans of the Swans, based in the Welsh coastal city of Swansea.
"When the whistle rang, grown men were crying. I put my arm around my fellow director, Martin (Morgan), and gave him a hug," Katzen said this week.
Just the attached television deal will translate into at least £40-million for Swansea City - with access to lucrative sponsorships and other deals estimated to be worth an additional £48-million.
Top players are reportedly eyeing opportunities to play for the Swans. Katzen confirmed that the club had just brought in striker Danny Graham for R38-million .
The businessman, who owns homes in Green Point in Cape Town and Las Vegas in the US, said he started playing soccer when he was five ears old and cracked a spot in provincial teams as a teenager: "As a boy I dreamed about playing premiership football and really set my heart on it. Unfortunately it was not to be.
"Owning a premier league club is a dream come true. Emotions are high and stress levels unaccountable for. It's hard to describe the feeling. I am carrying every lucky charm I possess," he said.
He and his partners inherited the club from Australian businessman Tony Petty in a state of near collapse. Petty was deeply unpopular for selling and sacking the club's best players.
A consortium bought Swansea - and its £1.7-million debt - in 2002. Katzen has been credited with contributing to its rise.
One of his ventures is a US-based business that buys companies in financial trouble with the aim of turning them around.
"We were at the bottom of the pile, now we are on top. But we've kept our humility and will continue doing things the right way. Our business plan remains the same: the fans are our customers," he said.
Katzen left for England to attend a Swansea City board meeting on Thursday.
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