Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
- YorkshireSquare
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Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
It’s difficult to rate players from the modern era against the legends of the past. Once such player is Luciano Becchio, regarded as somewhat of a cult hero by many, does he actually deserve to be regarded amongst the best who have ever played for Leeds United?
Born 28th December 1983 in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas Luciano Héctor Becchio started his footballing career as a youngster playing for Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires. After failing to break into the first team he moved to Spain where he had spells at Mallorca, Terrassa, Barcelona and Merida before joining Leeds United on trial. Becchio met up with the squad on pre-season in Galway and immediately impressed manager Gary McAllister who signed him on a permanent deal.
Becchio scored on his debut against Yeovil Town and went on to be an integral member of the Leeds United squad. In his first four full seasons at the club he played well over forty games every season and never failed to net in double figures for Leeds. Largely serving as understudy to Jermaine Beckford in his first couple of seasons at the club he came into his own in our first season in the Championship netting an impressive 19 times in the League from 34 appearances. After that Becchio became first choice and scored a further 11 and 16 goals in his final two seasons.
On Saturday 1st January 2013 against Bolton Wanderers, Becchio scored his 75th league goal for Leeds United taking putting him 10th in the Leeds United all time league goal scorers list overtaking Arthur Hydes in the process. He is the only player of the modern era to make that list joining names such as Peter Lorimer, John Charles and Allan Clarke, a place he rightfully deserves to be. He is undoubtedly one of the best signings of our ‘wilderness years’ and one of Gwyn Williams best finds.
Some lamented his poor first touch, his work rate, his finishing but to me he was a player who worked tirelessly for the team, was reliable, who rarely missed a match and could always produce a moment of magic. There were no tantrums with Becchio, no unreasonable contract demands, just a desire to play and score for Leeds United. Yes, he may have scored his goals at a lower level than the likes of Peter Lorimer but with 75 league goals and 86 in total for Leeds should he rightly be remembered as a Leeds United legend?
Luciano, Luciaaannnoooo, cost less than Berbatov and he scores more goals!
- becchio bear
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Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
He's a genuine legend
I'm going back to 505, I saw them at Sheffield and they were amazing.
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Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
Well we knew you would say that!
- Muppet the Cat
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Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
He was very good in a poor team. But I think the use of the term 'legend' is more than pushing it !!
Legendary status should be conveyed on few IMO, or it just dilutes it. These days the term great and/or legend is handed down far to often to players who are no more than good/very good.
Leeds legends are the likes of Charles, Bremner, Lorimer
Just my view
Legendary status should be conveyed on few IMO, or it just dilutes it. These days the term great and/or legend is handed down far to often to players who are no more than good/very good.
Leeds legends are the likes of Charles, Bremner, Lorimer
Just my view
Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
I agree with Cat.
Modern day legend maybe, but all time legend, definitely not.
Club legends should be few and far between, reserved for players who made a huge mark on a club.
If Becchio is a legend then surely Beckford is to?
How about Hernandez?
I actually was going to do a thread about someone else tomorrow who may have a claim to legendary status but it depends how far you want to push the term"legend".
I think Becchio has a claim for modern day great in the same way Beckford does, Pablo etc.
But club legend? Not for me.
On a side note, is Lee Chapman considered a legend?
He had a better scoring rate then LB at a higher level?
Modern day legend maybe, but all time legend, definitely not.
Club legends should be few and far between, reserved for players who made a huge mark on a club.
If Becchio is a legend then surely Beckford is to?
How about Hernandez?
I actually was going to do a thread about someone else tomorrow who may have a claim to legendary status but it depends how far you want to push the term"legend".
I think Becchio has a claim for modern day great in the same way Beckford does, Pablo etc.
But club legend? Not for me.
On a side note, is Lee Chapman considered a legend?
He had a better scoring rate then LB at a higher level?
Signed
King Cjay
Fountain of all knowledge and wisdom
King Cjay
Fountain of all knowledge and wisdom
- Muppet the Cat
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Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
Didn't Chappie get the Div 1 golden boot one season ?Cjay wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 8:57 pm I agree with Cat.
Modern day legend maybe, but all time legend, definitely not.
Club legends should be few and far between, reserved for players who made a huge mark on a club.
If Becchio is a legend then surely Beckford is to?
How about Hernandez?
I actually was going to do a thread about someone else tomorrow who may have a claim to legendary status but it depends how far you want to push the term"legend".
I think Becchio has a claim for modern day great in the same way Beckford does, Pablo etc.
But club legend? Not for me.
On a side note, is Lee Chapman considered a legend?
He had a better scoring rate then LB at a higher level?
His partnership with Rod Wallace (always think RW was somewhat undervalued) was fantastic
- becchio bear
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Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
Nope you are wrong. Becchio is a legend. You have to move beyond the golden oldies, there is room for modern day legends. Becchio is a legend.Muppet the Cat wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 8:48 pm He was very good in a poor team. But I think the use of the term 'legend' is more than pushing it !!
Legendary status should be conveyed on few IMO, or it just dilutes it. These days the term great and/or legend is handed down far to often to players who are no more than good/very good.
Leeds legends are the likes of Charles, Bremner, Lorimer
Just my view
I'm going back to 505, I saw them at Sheffield and they were amazing.
Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
You carry on carrying a torch for him bb....becchio bear wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 11:08 pm Nope you are wrong. Becchio is a legend. You have to move beyond the golden oldies, there is room for modern day legends. Becchio is a legend.
Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
Carry on carrying a torch starring Kenneth Williams as Luciano Becchio and Hattie Jacques as BB
Becchio: I'd like to visit your shed and show you my tool
BB: Ooooh Luciano
Un Marcelo Bielsa, solo hay un Marcelo Bielsa. Gracias Marcello. Marsching on together.
Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
Song machine is coming down....
And we're gonna have a party Uhuhu
And we're gonna have a party Uhuhu
- weasel
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Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
Yes I think it was our first season back in the top flight and I think he got something like 31 goals (in all competitions) that season. Chapman's contribution often seems to get overlooked, especially those who praise Cantona, yet without him we wouldn't have got promoted, wouldn't have acclimatised to the top flight and been able to attract the likes of Dorigo to join us, and certainly wouldn't have won the league title. Yet to some Cantona's 3 goals (1 came when we were 2-0 up and was scored in the 89th minute and another came in the 74th minute of a game when we were 3-0 up) in our title winning season is seen as more important and more of a reason why we won the title.Muppet the Cat wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 9:05 pm Didn't Chappie get the Div 1 golden boot one season ?
His partnership with Rod Wallace (always think RW was somewhat undervalued) was fantastic
- weasel
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Re: Luciano Becchio, Cult hero or genuine legend?
I think with legends you have to ascertain their importance in the era in which they played. Were many players more important than Becchio in the seasons he played for us? Certainly you could argue Beckford was more important in the promotion year as he scored more goals but then Beckford didn't score any for us at Championship level, whereas Becchio improved his scoring ratio at a higher level. Becchio over his years at the club was therefore as important as anyone else and more important than almost everyone if you judged it over the period he played for us. In terms of being a legend unfortunately you would have to say no as there weren't any individual things he did (such as Beckford scoring at OT, scoring in the promotion clinching game etc) that would go down in history. Definitely worthy of a place though in the Leeds Utd hero list.