Five ex-Leeds players rank in West Yorkshire’s 10 most notable athletes
Former Leeds United footballers are joined by one of the world’s deadliest strikers, and a rhythmic gymnast who became a household TV presenter.
As Leeds United prepare to rejoin England’s top-flight on Monday, 18 August, a number of former players have been recognised for their enduring popularity in a new study by sports equipment manufacturer Harrod Sport.
Taking the birthplaces and Wikipedia profile searches of more than 27,000 UK-born athletes, Harrod Sport’s research reveals which sportspeople are the most notable in 2025, according to the average monthly number of profile searches each athlete receives.
Topping the ranking is Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who was born in Leeds before moving to his father’s native country of Norway at a young age. His father Alf-Inge "Alfie" Haaland played in midfield for Leeds United from 1997 to 2000.
James Milner is the first former Leeds player to rank in West Yorkshire’s most notable sportspeople in second place, with an average of 51,720 profile searches per month for his Wikipedia profile.
West Yorkshire’s 10 most notable sportspeople in 2025
Based on the average monthly number of Wikipedia profile searches
- Erling Haaland (football): 184,440 profile searches
- James Milner (football): 51,720
- Gabby Logan (rhythmic gymnastics): 35,700
- James Tavernier (football): 28,890
- Kalvin Phillips (football): 23,820
- Mike Tindall (rugby union): 17,070
- Marcus Tavernier (football): 16,410
- Nile Wilson (artistic gymnastics): 16,260
- Alan Smith (football): 15,390
- Oli McBurnie (football): 14,760
Other former Leeds players include James Tavernier (fourth) who spent six seasons in the club’s academy before kickstarting his senior career for Newcastle United in 2009. His Wikipedia profile receives an average of 28,890 searches per month.
Kalvin Phillips ranks fifth with 23,820 monthly searches. Phillips most recently went out on loan to Ipswich Town in the 2024/25 season from his parent club Manchester City. He has only managed to earn 16 appearances at City since his transfer from Leeds United in 2022.
Alan Smith (ninth) and Oli Mcburnie (10th) make up the remaining ex-Leeds players to appear in West Yorkshire’s top 10 for 2025. Smith was part of a memorable forward line for Leeds in the early 2000s, which also included Australian striker Mark Viduka and Michael Bridges. Oli McBurnie spent his youth career at Leeds before transferring to Bradford City.
Harrod Sport’s research into West Yorkshire’s most notable athletes forms part of a wider project that uncovers the most notable sportspeople from every English county in 2025. You can learn more about which other sportspeople rank highest in other parts of Yorkshire and the rest of England via their ‘Hometown Heroes’ research here: harrodsport.com/advice-and-guides/hometown-heroes