Neil Champney

Sat 18 July 2020 14:10, UK

If Marcelo Bielsa doesn’t have his own statue outside Leeds United one day, it will be a travesty. 

Countless managers have tried, and ultimately failed, to take this historic club back to the promised land of Premier League football, but when push came to shove, it took somebody truly special – even a little bit Loco – to get the job done.

The Whites sealed promotion on Friday evening after West Brom dropped points against Huddersfield Town, and celebrations ran late into the night across the city as supporters everywhere shut a door on the pain of a 16-year absence from the top flight.

And while crowds gathered outside of Elland Road to jubilate with the squad, other fans went straight to the home of Bielsa himself to thank their unassuming saviour.

The Argentine is known for his humble lifestyle and sullen demeanour, but even he managed to crack a smile and reciprocate the outpouring of love on his doorstep with his own endearing brand of broken English.

BBC journalist Adam Pope shared a video of the scene to his personal Twitter account on Friday night, and the main thing that shines through is Bielsa’s quiet charisma.

Unlike other managers and superstars of the professional game, he doesn’t need to shout the loudest to be heard, or to drive the flashiest car to be seen.

The 64-year-old’s genius speaks for itself, and it’s his remarkable transformation of this club that has got it to where it is today.

It’s little wonder that Danny Mills has described him as “phenomenal” or that he believes he should lauded in the same way that Jurgen Klopp is at Liverpool.

And Pope’s video, as if we needed one, is another reminder of just how fortunate we are to have this footballing maestro at the helm.

Here are some of the best tweets from ecstatic Leeds fans:

https://twitter.com/walmot_adz/status/1284232218005712896?s=20

In other Leeds United news, What a raging Bielsa barked at Leeds staff before bringing Pablo Hernandez off v Barnsley.