Players: 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

30) Rio Ferdinand (2000-2002)

Country: England | DOB: 07/11/1978 | Position: Defender | Apps: 73 | Goals: 3
A supremely elegant footballer who defends with intelligence and guile, but also uses the ball when possession is gained. Leeds smashed not only the British transfer record, but also the world record fee for a defender to prise him away from Upton Park. Paying ????18m for Ferdinand, a fee which sent shockwaves through the footballing world. The move undoubtedly benefited Rio, who improved his ability and claimed a spot in the England set-up as the old rearguard was phased out. At the 2002 World Cup he emerged as a truly world class defender. He was a rock as England went out to Brazil in the quarter-finals. He left for Man U for ????29.3million. Player of the Year at Leeds in his final season, Ferdinand was a real favourite at Leeds, played 73 games for the club and scored three goals.

29) Trevor Cherry (1972-1982)

Country: England | DOB: 23/02/1948 | Position: Defender | Apps: 486 | Goals: 32
Born Huddersfield, 1948, he signed for his home town team in 1965 and captained them to the Second Division Championship in 1969-70. He moved to Leeds for ????100,000 in 1972, and, while formerly almost exclusively a central defender, his ability to play midfield and full back made him a valuable acquisition. He won 27 caps for England and had the honour of captaining his country, but he was also one of the few England players to be sent off. He won a League championship medal in 1974 and played 477 full games and 8 as substitute, scoring 32 goals before joining Bradford City as player manager and led them to promotion to Division 2.

28) Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink (1997-1999)

Country: Netherlands | DOB: 27/03/1972 | Position: Forward | Apps: 87 | Goals: 42
Surinam born, moved with his family to Holland and started his European football with Telstar, then AZ. Coming to Leeds from Boavista, for ????2M in 1997, he soon became a firm favourite with the fans...if not with the management. Produced 42 (usually flamboyant) goals in 87 Leeds appearances, but was too temperamental for George Graham's liking and was frequently substituted. O'Leary gave him his chances, but in the summer of 1999 he was transferred to Athletico Madrid, for ????12M. under very unclear circumstances. The official Leeds board statement said he demanded a new wage contract far above what they were prepared to pay. Jimmy himself says he wanted to stay at Leeds, as he saw O'Leary's team gearing up for European success, and that he was sold off to provide the money needed to take Leeds into Europe.

27) John Sheridan (1982-1989)

Country: Ireland | DOB: 01/10/1964 | Position: Midfielder | Apps: 267 | Goals: 52
Discarded by Manchester City, Sheridan went on to become a major influence in the Leeds midfield as they strove to recapture Division One status in the 1980s. Within six months of being rejected by Man City, he had made his league debut for Leeds, his vision and skill hallmarking him as a player for the future. He recovered well from a broken leg sustained at Barnsley in 1983, to become United's most valuable playing asset, being particularly lethal from free kicks. On the arrival of Howard Wilkinson as manager Sheridan was sold to Nottingham Forest.

26) Lee Bowyer (1996-2003)

Country: England | DOB: 03/01/1977 | Position: Midfielder | Apps: 265 | Goals: 55
Bowyer moved to Leeds United in July 1996 from Charlton Athletic for a then British record fee for a teenager of ????3 million. After taking a long time to settle, his performances led to him being voted United's Player of the Year for 1998/99. A hard-working player, hard in the tackle and with an eye for goal, Bowyer looked to be the fringe of an England place until his well-publicised troubles. Bowyer showed magnificent form in the first half of the 1999/2000 season, he was a star at home and in Europe as Leeds made the semi-finals of the Champions League, and he almost finished top scorer in the competition. He was one of the best players in the Premiership throughout 2000/01, even though his court case was in progress. He left Leeds in 2003 for West Ham before moving to Newcastle United.

25) Gary Speed (1988-1996)

Country: Wales | DOB: 08/09/1969 | Position: Midfielder | Apps: 312 | Goals: 57
Born 1969, Speed joined Leeds straight from school in 1987. A Welsh Youth International, he got his first team chance after he scored in 12 consecutive Northern Intermediate League games. After one appearance for the first team he was called into the Welsh full squad for whom he appeared 34 times whilst at Leeds. He excelled in Uniteds' championship winning team when his forays down the left and his ability in the air brought him , and others, plenty of goals. He made 291 full and 20 substitute appearances scoring 57 goals before moving to Everton for ????3.4m in 1996. He later moved to Newcastle United and a testament to his longevity and freedom from serious injury was that Gary held the record for most appearances of any outfield player in the EPL, long after his retirement.

24) Lee Chapman (1990-1996)

Country: England | DOB: 05/12/1959 | Position: Forward | Apps: 175 | Goals: 80
Born Lincoln in 1959, he began his professional career with Stoke City in 1978, where he once recorded a hat-trick against Leeds, showing early promise in winning an England under 23 cap. After establishing himself at Stoke, his career faltered and he played with Arsenal, and Sunderland before Howard Wilkinson took him to Sheffield Wednesday in 1984. He netted 69 goals in 149 games for the Owls before taking on an unsuccessful sample of French football, which quickly saw him return to England with Nottingham Forest, where he won League Cup and Zenith Cup winner's medals. He joined Leeds in 1990 and led them to the Second Division and First Division Championships in quick succession. He played 171 games and scored 80 goals. He left in 1993 but returned for a short loan spell in 1996.

23) Tony Currie (1976-1979)

Country: England | DOB: 01/01/1950 | Position: Midfielder | Apps: 124 | Goals: 16
Born in Edgeware, London in 1950. Tony Currie was the nearest thing Leeds has to fill the Bremner, Giles combination. His delicate skills and passing ability saw him win 11 of his 17 caps for England while a Leeds player. He was sold by Sheffield United to Leeds in 1976 and Currie maintained his star status at Elland Road, adding consistently to his talents. For two season he was a regular in the England squad but could not add domestic honours. He played 123 games for Leeds and scored 25 goals.

22) Tony Yeboah (1995-1997)

Country: Ghana | DOB: 06/06/1966 | Position: Forward | Apps: 66 | Goals: 32
Born Ghana 1966, few strikers have made such an explosive impact as Yeboah. Outside the Bundesliga few had heard of the Ghanaian's goal power, but it did not take long for him to take English Football by storm with a series of spectacular goals. Leeds shattered the club's transfer record in paying Eintracht Frankfurt ????3.4m in early 1995. He soon picked up the pace with 13 goals in his first 16 games. His goals ensured a UEFA Cup place and he did not disappoint in Europe when a virtuoso performance netted him an hat-trick at Monaco. This was followed quickly by another hat-trick at Wimbledon. It included a blistering shot shot which was only surpasses by a match winning volley against Liverpool, which earned him the goal of the year award. Winner of the Leeds player of the year award in 1996 he made 55 full and 4 substitute appearances and netted 32 goals.

21) Bobby Collins (1962-1967)

Country: Scotland | DOB: 16/02/1931 | Position: Midfielder | Apps: 168 | Goals: 26
Small in stature, but huge in standing amongst United's galaxy of greats, Collins was the platform on which manager Don Revie launched his great sides. Revie paid ????25,000 to Everton in March 1962 for the 31 year old former Scottish international, who went on to lift a mediocre club out of the depths of Division Two to one of the most successful in Europe. He captained Leeds to the Second Division title in 1963-64 and the following season was voted footballer of the year as Leeds came close to a League and Cup double. He was capped 31 times for Scottland.

Heidi's Blog - Leeds United v Bristol City

Leeds United v Bristol City | 28th April 2024 | Elland Road That'll teach me to take so many photos last night as it's taken until 9am to whittle them down. All photos will be on my website www.followmeandleedsunited.co.uk...

By Lufcheidi 1 Comment

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