His career looked over but he went on to play his ‘best football’ at Leeds United thanks to Marcelo Bielsa

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When a football leaves Europe for a big final payday as their career winds to an end, it’s not often that they return better than ever but that happened for one Leeds United hero.

Leeds United have a laundry list of legends from throughout the club’s prestigious history.

The likes of Don Revie, Billy Bremner, Norman Hunter and Jack Charlton will be forever remembered from the glory years of the 1950s-1970s.

Tony Yeboah, Lucas Radabe and Gordon Strachan are slightly more recent greats but, given Leeds’ trophy cabinet has been lacking major honours for some time, modern day icons are rare.

Which is what makes Pablo Hernandez such a beloved figure at Elland Road to this day.

Pablo Hernandez is one of Leeds’ best free transfers ever

Hernandez was already a familiar face in the English game following a successful two-year stint with Swansea City, in which he helped them win the League Cup in 2013.

However, at the end of the following season, the Spaniard departed the European game and headed for Qatar.

He joined Al-Arabi, aged 29, and played just 13 times before heading out on loan to UAE side Al-Nasr and making the same number of appearances.

Just a year after heading to the Middle East, Hernandez returned to his native Spain with Rayo Vallecano and played regularly but managed just three goals in 30 appearances as the side were relegated from La Liga.

Now 31 and having had two underwhelming campaigns, Hernandez’s career appeared to be fading away. That was until Leeds United became interested in the summer of 2016.

It was actually Gary Monk, who worked with the playmaker at Swansea, who brought in Hernandez on an initial loan but after he impressed so much in the first six months, the move was made permanent the following January. For free.

The Hernandez-sance was in full swing.

Pablo Hernandez credits Marcelo Bielsa for the ‘best football’ of his career

Hernandez immediately beguiled fans with his elegant dribbling and exquisite eye for a pass as he became the perfect playmaker for Leeds.

Despite planning to only stay for a year, Hernandez fell in love with Leeds as much as the fans did with him.

The veteran enjoyed two fantastic seasons – registering 15 goals and 18 assists – but somehow took his game to an even higher level upon Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival in 2018.

Hernandez scored 12 times and created 12 more in 41 appearances as Leeds missed out on promotion due to play-off heartbreak.

It was this campaign that Hernandez called his ‘most complete’ and praised Bielsa for making him even better despite being in his mid-30s.

Speaking to Leeds’ official website after penning a new contract in 2019, Hernandez said: “I think the last season was the most complete season for me with 12 goals and 12 assists.

“But we lost the chance to go to the Premier League and I would change this for the team to be in the Premier League, but I was happy with my personal performance last season.

“It is a great experience for me to work with him [Bielsa]. He is very positive for me, because with him I have played some of the best football in my career last year.

“With my age, sometimes when you arrive to this age 33, 34, 35, you think you have a lot of experience and you know everything in football, but a manager like Marcelo can improve you and help you to know new things in football and this has happened with me.

“We want to improve this year and achieve our target of the Premier League and I think we are going in the right way and I am 100 per cent sure and convinced that this is the year this club will get back to the Premier League.”

Hernandez’s conviction proved to be well-founded as Leeds roared back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years as champions. It was another fruitful campaign for him, too, with a further nine goals and nine assists.

Sadly, Hernandez’s playing time reduced the following season as injuries after a long career began to take their toll.

He started just three times in the top flight and didn’t manage to score but there were still some sprinklings of magic, like two assists in eight minutes off the bench in a 5-2 win over Newcastle.

The fan favourite at least managed to wave goodbye properly as fans were allowed back into Elland Road following Covid-19 on the final day of the campaign.

After two more years at hometown club Castellon, Hernandez hung up his boots in 2023 at the age of 38 but his Leeds legacy lives on.