Leeds United were unable to gain promotion via the Championship play-offs last year, losing 1-0 to Southampton in the final. But the Whites under Daniel Farke have erased those bad memories in this 2024/2025 season, securing an emotional return to the Premier League and restoring their place among England’s elite clubs.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Leeds enjoyed their most successful period. During this time, they won two First Division titles, the FA Cup and League Cup, along with a controversial defeat to Bayern Munich in the 1975 European Cup final. Behind their success in these two decades lies a talented group of legends who left their mark on the club with their actions on and off the pitch.
Leeds, who were founded in 1919, have produced some eye-catching talents over the years. These players won the hearts of the Elland Road faithful with memorable performances and have cemented their position in the club’s history books. With that in mind, here are the greatest Leeds players in football history.
Ranking factors
- Impact at the club – The players’ overall impact on the team during their time at the club.
- Memorable moments – Goals scored or saves made in critical moments.
- Legendary status – Players who are still remembered by supporters today with chants at Elland Road.
- Trophies won – Includes domestic and European trophies.
| 15 Greatest Leeds United Players in Football History | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Years at Leeds United | Appearances |
| 1 | Billy Bremner | 1959-1976 | 773 |
| 2 | Peter Lorimer | 1962-1979, 1983-1985 | 707 |
| 3 | Eddie Gray | 1965-1983 | 525 |
| 4 | John Charles | 1948-1957, 1962 | 327 |
| 5 | Jack Charlton | 1950-1973 | 773 |
| 6 | Norman Hunter | 1959-1976 | 724 |
| 7 | John Giles | 1963-1975 | 525 |
| 8 | Gordon Strachan | 1989-1995 | 245 |
| 9 | Allan Clarke | 1969-1978 | 366 |
| 10 | Nigel Martyn | 1996-2003 | 273 |
| 11 | Gary McAllister | 1990-1996 | 293 |
| 12 | David Batty | 1987-1993, 1998-2004 | 373 |
| 13 | Lucas Radebe | 1994-2005 | 256 |
| 14 | Paul Madeley | 1962-1980 | 724 |
| 15 | Mark Viduka | 2000-2004 | 166 |
15 Mark Viduka
Years at the club: 2000-2004
After taking Scottish football by storm – he scored 27 goals and won the Scottish Player of the Year award playing for Celtic – Mark Viduka made the move to the Premier League to join Leeds United for a fee in the region of £6m in 2000. The Australian would take to English football like a duck to water, smashing in 22 goals in his first season at Elland Road, including producing the finest moment of his career when he bagged four in one match against rivals Liverpool at home.
The 2001/2002 campaign was similarly productive for Viduka who netted another 16 times across all competitions, before striking 22 goals the following season to ensure Leeds staved off the threat of relegation.
14 Paul Madeley
Years at the club: 1962-1980
One of the most versatile players in football history, it would be easier to note down the positions Paul Madeley didn’t play in his professional career than the ones he did. In an illustrious 18-year spell at Elland Road, Madeley would make a whopping 724 appearances for Leeds United across all competitions, scoring 34 goals. His 24 caps at international level with England was perhaps far lower than it should have been, and maybe a direct consequence of the fact he hadn’t nailed down a single position.
In an era now where footballers are increasingly asked to be versatile and play out of position, Madeley was arguably the first of his kind – at least on these shores. You can only imagine what a coach like Pep Guardiola would have thought had he managed a talented and incredibly intelligent individual like Madeley.
13 Lucas Radebe
Years at the club: 1994-2005
Signed by Leeds United for a fee around £250k in 1994, Lucas Radebe quickly established himself as a cult hero at Elland Road. Nicknamed ‘The Chief’, the South African star is one of his country’s biggest and most iconic players, and would lead the nation to their first ever World Cup back in 1998 – in total, he would make 70 appearances for his country.
At Leeds, Radebe’s versatility meant that he played in midfield and all across the back four too, and was the kind of loyal and professional stalwart who fans and managers alike took a great liking to. The midfielder even took a pay cut to stay at Leeds, and would amass over 200 starts for the club and scored three goals in his time.
12 David Batty
Years at the club: 1987-1993, 1998-2004
Born in Leeds in 1968, David Batty’s love of the club saw him enjoy two fruitful spells at his hometown club, including making his debut for the Whites aged just 18. The combative midfielder’s potential saw him earn call-ups to the England U21s as well as the England B side, and would go on to earn 42 caps for the seniors across his career.
After putting in some impressive performances for Leeds in the early 1990s, Batty would make the move to Blackburn Rovers in 1993, before joining Newcastle a couple of years later. The midfielder would make his eventual return to Elland Road in 1998, and was a key part of the first-team squad that reached the Champions League semi-finals under manager David O’Leary.
11 Gary McAllister
Years at the club: 1990-1996
It was a testament to just how highly-rated that Gary McAllister was, that Howard Wilkinson had to fight off competition from legendary manager Brian Clough for the Scot’s signature from Leicester City. The Motherwell-born star formed an industrious and talented midfield quartet alongside Gordon Strachan, David Batty and Gary Speed, and was a key reason behind the title triumph in the 1991/1992 season.
Earning the distinction of captaining Leeds as well as his country Scotland, McAllister would play just shy of 300 games for the Whites, scoring 45 times in the process. Eventually, he would make the move to Coventry City, before a spell at Liverpool sandwiched his return to the former as a player/manager.
10 Nigel Martyn
Years at the club: 1996-2003
Nigel Martyn became a key part of Howard Wilkinson’s squad when he joined Leeds in the summer of 1996. The English goalkeeper was particularly impressive in Europe, helping the Whites reach the UEFA Cup and Champions League semi-finals in the 1999/2000 and 2000/01 seasons, respectively.
Individually, he was recognised for his consistent performances, as he was given the club’s Player of the Year award in 1997. Martyn is still regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in Leeds’ history and was voted into the club’s greatest XI by 30,000 of the club’s supporters in 2006. He was the only player in the XI from after the Don Revie era to be included in the lineup.
9 Allan Clarke
Years at the club: 1969-1978
Nicknamed “Sniffer” for his ability to score and create chances from nowhere, Allan Clarke is one of the greatest forwards in Leeds’ history. He scored 151 goals in 366 games for the Whites, winning four major trophies, including the FA Cup and First Division in 1972 and 1974, respectively.
Clarke repaid the £165,000 fee Revie paid for him by scoring the crucial goals in the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1971 and the FA Cup in 1972. After drawing 2-2 against Juventus in the first leg of the Fairs Cup final, Leeds knew that a 1-1 draw would be enough to win the title on away goals. Clarke’s 12th-minute goal was cancelled out by Pietro Anastasi’s strike eight minutes later, but the Whites held on. A year later, he scored the only goal of the FA Cup final against Arsenal with a diving header from a Mick Jones cross in the second half.
8 Gordon Strachan
Years at the club: 1989-1995
Gordon Strachan signed for Leeds in 1989 from Manchester United. In his first season at the club, the Whites won the Second Division, finishing on 85 points after 46 games. Wilkinson formed a midfield of Gary McAllister, David Batty, Gary Speed and Strachan in their first top-flight campaign since 1982. They secured a commendable finish, ending up fourth and reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup. Strachan impressed throughout the season and was awarded the FWA Footballer of the Year.
The Scottish midfielder then captained Leeds to their third English league title in the following season. He spent a further three years at Elland Road, winning the club’s Player of the Year award in 1993, before eventually leaving to join Coventry City in 1995.
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7 John Giles
Years at the club: 1963-1975
John Giles was an integral part of Leeds’ success in the 1960s and 1970s, forming one of the best midfield partnerships in Europe, along with Billy Bremner. Giles was the more creative player of the two, while Bremner was often there to win the ball back quickly.
Giles joined the Whites from United in 1963 and spent 12 years at Elland Road, where he won two First Division titles. When Leeds won the league title in 1974, the Irish midfielder was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside his midfield partner Bremner. In 1975, Giles left the club having made 525 appearances, scoring 115 goals.
6 Norman Hunter
Years at the club: 1959-1976
Norman Hunter started in the Leeds youth team in 1959, before eventually making his first-team debut three years later. The centre-back played over 700 times for the Whites during 14 years at the club. During this time, he won 10 major trophies, as well as being recognised for two PFA awards in Leeds’ 1973/74 title-winning season. Revie’s side won the league, conceding only 31 goals in 42 games, meaning Hunter was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
Hunter eventually left Leeds in 1976 to join Bristol City. After his playing career, he worked as a commentator on BBC Radio Leeds and Yorkshire Radio before sadly passing away in 2020. Shortly after he passed away, the South Stand at Elland Road was renamed the ‘Norman Hunter South Stand’.
