Patrick Bamford might not be on the scene for Leeds United nowadays, but he was a favourite under Marcelo Bielsa.
Daniel Farke hasn’t seen Bamford in his squad since Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers, dating back to January 1st, 2025.
His injuries have caught up to him as the 31-year-old is surely heading for the exit door at Elland Road.
It’s a stark contrast from the striker’s time under Bielsa, as scoring goals came so easy for Bamford, who netted 17 goals in Leeds’ first season back in the Premier League.
Both manager and player had a strong connection at Leeds, and some of it stemmed from the remarkable thing Bielsa did behind the scenes.
Patrick Bamford couldn’t believe Marcelo Bielsa trick at Leeds United
Everyone knows Bielsa is a genius, and if you gave Leeds fans the chance, they’d take the Argentine back in a heartbeat.
Nowadays, the former Whites boss is managing Uruguay, as Bielsa lost out to Lionel Messi’s Argentina recently.
It seems he’s lost a bit of the spark he had at Leeds as Bielsa’s Uruguay side have only won one out of their last eight games.
This still wouldn’t tarnish Bielsa’s Leeds reputation, and if anything, after what Bamford said last year, Leeds fans will have more respect for Bielsa.
Speaking on My Mate’s a Footballer, Bamford explained the ‘incredible’ trick the former Leeds boss used to do before games.
“He would literally say, this is how the game is going to go, and if they’re going to score, and how they’re going to score.
“I kid you not it was like he had a crystal ball and he’d seen the game already.
“Every week he would get it bang on, honestly it was incredible.”
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Liam Cooper backed up Bamford’s Bielsa claim at Leeds United
Some people might not even believe Bielsa ever did this, but it’s become clear this is the honest truth from Bamford.
It won’t come as a surprise that his genius would predict things to happen before a game, and former Leeds captain Liam Cooper has clarified that this did happen at the club.
Cooper said he never saw anything like it, as it seemingly left the whole squad back then in disbelief.
Farke might have to take a leaf out of Bielsa’s book, as this pre-match ritual clearly brought serious success at Leeds.
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