Marcelo Bielsa is still a cult figure at Leeds United, and the side he led to promotion in 2020 has firmly secured its place in the club’s history.
The former Leeds boss is back in England this week, preparing the Uruguay national team for a friendly against England on Friday night.
His legacy at Leeds is unquestionable. He ended their 16-year wait for top-flight football in 2020 and followed it up with a top-half Premier League finish in his first season back.
However, his impact goes beyond Leeds, and there are countless players in world football, some with legendary status, who pick Bielsa as the man who transformed their careers.
Gabriel Batistuta has his own Marcelo Bielsa story
The Argentine legend was considered one of the best strikers in world football during the 1990s, and has a legendary status at Serie A club Fiorentina.
He started his career at Newell’s Old Boys when Marcelo Bielsa was their head coach, and Batistuta conceded that the former Leeds boss changed his professional career.
The former striker said Bielsa essentially showed him what it means to be a complete professional, both on and off the pitch, early in his career, and described him as the most influential coach he ever worked with.
Batistuta told Rio Ferdinand during an interview: “The first time I met, it was unbelievable for me.
“He was already super professional, and I didn’t know anything about professional soccer.
“How to run? How to practice? How to eat? Everything.
“I was 18, and we couldn’t understand him. But then we followed him, and he showed us the way.
“Yes, for sure. 100 per cent [he was the most important coach of my career].”
He changed careers at Leeds as well
Before Bielsa arrived in the summer of 2018, Leeds had drifted into life as a lower mid-table Championship side.
He took them to the playoffs in his first season and sensationally won the Championship in his second year to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Several Leeds players of that era owe their careers to Bielsa, and he transformed the club during his stint as the manager at Elland Road.
Bielsa’s influence on the club, the city and its supporters was so significant that a street was named in his honour, while murals across the area pay tribute to the former Leeds boss.
The Argentinian recently revealed that he has avoided returning to Leeds since leaving the club, as it would be too emotional for him.
