When the Argentine took over the Yorkshire club, they had spent years underachieving in the Championship. However, after a 16-year absence, he would then lead them back to the Premier League.
His eccentric personality and uniquely mesmerising footballing philosophy would leave an indelible mark on Leeds and English football, as he spent four years with the Whites before leaving in 2022.
However, it seems as though Bielsa had been keeping an eye on football in Britain long before he arrived in the country. Indeed, he once spoke in the most glowing terms of Gordon Banks, whom he first saw as a teenager.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Touching Tribute to Gordon Banks
“He’s among the best goalkeepers in history”
Bielsa was just about to turn 15 and England were taking on Brazil at the 1970 World Cup. The future manager was one of many left spellbound as Banks made ‘the save of the century.’ Diving low to his far right, the shot-stopper somehow clawed away Pele’s goalbound header.
Reflecting upon the iconic goalkeeper after his Banks’ death in 2019, Bielsa said:
“Banks is the glory of English football. He’s also the glory of world football.
“He’s among the best goalkeepers in history and that’s only a small group when we talk about the best ones. This defines Gordon Banks.”
Banks played 73 times for England and, most famously, was a key part of the team to won the World Cup in 1966. He is almost certainly the best English goalkeeper of all time, a a true legend of the sport.
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Pele Also Loved Gordon Banks
Pele was so impressed by the save that, when also speaking after Banks’ passing, he admitted he was glad the English goalkeeper denied it. He explained:
“I scored so many goals in my life, but many people, when they meet me, always ask me about that save. While it was indeed phenomenal, my memory of Gordon is not defined by that – it is defined by his friendship. He was a kind and warm man who gave so much to people.
“So I am glad he saved my header – because that act was the start of a friendship between us that I will always treasure. Whenever we met, it was always like we had never been apart.”
The stop was so good, Pele could actually be seen throwing his hands in the air to celebrate his goal-bound effort, only to be denied by Banks’ remarkable athleticism. Of course, he was far more than just that moment, though.
Not only was the World Cup-winning Englishman a superb servant for his nation, but he also achieved some special things at club level, lifting the League Cup in 1972 with Stoke City, having won the same competition in 1964 with Leicester City.
