Take a look at every Leeds United captain in the club’s history, with a ranking of the top five so far.
Leeds United have had many club legends over the years, all playing a part in landing some of the biggest trophies in their history.
From league titles to cup success and even some European forays, The Whites have had their time under the spotlight.
However, very few of those successful players get the chance to wear the captain’s armband to lead the team out to battle.
Of those select few, some of the best have guided Leeds to victory. So with that said, here’s a look at the top five most successful captains ranked.
Leeds United’s most successful captains
5 – Liam Cooper
Centre-back Liam Cooper has spent ten years at Leeds United, putting his body on the line to win matches for the club.
Under his captaincy, The Whites managed an incredible return to the Premier League, which included a ninth-placed finish in the top tier.
While relegation and an injury-hit return to the Championship have followed for Cooper, the Scottish international will be looking for a second promotion as part of an important return to the top for Leeds.
4 – Peter Lorimer
Peter Lorimer is one of the Leeds United greats, who currently holds the record for the most goals for the club with 238.
The attacking midfielder had two spells with The Whites, which included seven trophies.
While his legendary status has him adored at Leeds, his captaincy stint was only from 1984 until 1985, when he attempted to help Leeds gain promotion from the second tier back into the First Division.
3 – Gordon Strachan
Leeds United convinced Gordon Strachan to leave Manchester United and the First Division in favour of a drop to the league below in 1989.
The midfielder quickly became a fan favourite at Elland Road and was handed the captaincy on the club’s way towards promotion.
Just two seasons later, in the 1991/92 season, Strachan captained Leeds to a First Division title success, beating his former club and rivals Man United to the trophy.
It marked the Yorkshire outfit’s third league title success in their history and remains their most recent major honour.
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2 – Bobby Collins
The eventual success of Leeds United wouldn’t have been possible without the captaincy of Bobby Collins in the 1960s.
The midfielder helped Don Revie’s side avoid relegation to the third tier, win promotion back to the First Division in 1964 and came close to a league and FA Cup double in 1965.
Collins was a runner-up in the top flight again one year later before injury halted his time at Leeds.
While he may not have the honours list that some of his fellow captains have, the Scottish international was key in setting up the future that the club would have shortly after he left.
1 – Billy Bremner
One of the all-time greats at Leeds United, Billy Bremner may go down as the best captain in the club’s history.
The midfielder spent 16 years with The Whites, playing his part with the armband for 11 years of that stint.
Bremner won eight honours while playing for Leeds between 1960 and 1976, which includes winning the First Division, FA Cup, the League Cup and European trophies.
The Scottish international was everything that a captain of the club should be and he sets the standard for those carrying the armband all these years later.
Leeds United captains
1920s
- Jim Baker
- Jimmy Potts
1930s
- Jimmy Potts
- Wilf Copping
- Jock McDougall
- Tom Holly
1940s
- Tom Holley
- Tommy Burden
1950s
- Tommy Burden
- Eric Kerfoot
- John Charles
- Wilbur Cush
1960s
- Freddie Goodwin
- Bobby Collins
- Billy Bremner
1970s
- Billy Bremner
- Trevor Cherry
1980s
- Trevor Cherry
- David Harvey
- Peter Lorimer
- Ian Snodin
- Ian Baird
- Mark Aizlewood
- Gordon Strachan
1990s
- Gordon Strachan
- Gay McAllister
- Lucas Radebe
2000s
- Lucas Radebe
- Rio Ferdinand
- Dominic Matteo
- Paul Butler
- Kevin Nicholls
- Jonathan Douglas
- Alan Thompson
- Frazer Richardson
- Richard Naylor
2010s
- Jonny Howson
- Robert Snodgrass
- Lee Peltier
- Rodolph Austin
- Ross McCormack
- Jason Pearce
- Stephen Warnock
- Liam Bridcutt
- Liam Cooper
2020s
- Liam Cooper
- Ethan Ampadu
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