Leeds United Largie Ramazani had experience playing in La Liga’s best stadiums while playing for Almería last season. Moreover, the player made a bold claim regarding Elland Road and where the atmosphere ranks in his eyes.
Late in the summer transfer window, Leeds signed Ramazani to strengthen their left-wing position after Crysencio Summerville’s departure to West Ham United.
The 22-year-old spent the last five years playing in Spain, and Leeds reportedly paid €11.7 million, including add-ons and a 15 percent sell-on clause, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The former Manchester United youth player played in 128 matches across all competitions for Almería, scoring 22 goals and registering nine assists.
Is Elland Road more intimidating than the Santiago Bernabéu?
Ramazani has played against Real Madrid on the road at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. However, having now played a couple of matches at Elland Road, the winger noted a significant difference between playing there and in Spain’s marquee stadium.
“When I played at the Bernabeu, it was loud, but it wasn’t intimidating,” Ramazani told BBC West Yorkshire Sport Daily (h/t MOT Leeds News).
“It wasn’t as loud as Elland Road. Maybe the ‘yeah’ cheer in England is louder than the ‘goal’ cheer in Spain. I don’t know, but you feel it more here at Leeds. People told me how loud it was and I didn’t know whether to believe them until now.”
Almería losing Ramazani was a major blow to their squad for this 2024-25 season as the Spanish side are also looking for promotion. Manager Rubi stated that Ramazani has his flaws as a young player but that his current squad is missing a couple of key traits that are exclusive to the winger no one else has currently.
“We don’t have a winger like Ramazani,” Rubi told Diario de Almeria. “It’s true that he’s a player who can make mistakes in his decision-making, but we don’t have players with that spark and electricity in the squad.
“In the medium term, if we don’t get a replacement, we’re looking to train a player from the reserve team or the youth team who can make the jump.”
