Liam Cooper details regular Marcelo Bielsa contact as ex-Leeds United teammate boldly tipped for Ballon d'Or
The former Leeds United captain has been reflecting on an incredible period at Elland Road.
Liam Cooper is still in ‘occasional’ contact with the man who changed his career and the careers of so many Leeds United teammates.
Marcelo Bielsa gained legend status during his three-and-a-half-year stint in West Yorkshire, guiding Leeds back into the Premier League before overseeing a ninth-placed finish in their first top-flight campaign since 2003/04. The Argentinian recruited only a handful of first-team players during his first two summers, with a previously mid-table group elevated to levels beyond anyone’s expectations.
Among those to improve immensely was Cooper, who after leaving Leeds for Bulgarian outfit CSKA Sofia last summer, credited Bielsa with making him ‘a better player, a better leader and a better man.’ And the 33-year-old has now revealed he is still in contact with the iconic former Whites boss, who sends over the occasional message.
Cooper on Bielsa
“He galvanised the whole club and took us from being mediocre to top half of the Premier League,” Cooper told the Daily Mail of Bielsa. “We became fearless. Our Championship team that won promotion wasn’t the best squad but we’d take it to teams and fight to the end.
“Before games, the manager would predict exactly how things would pan out. I’d never seen anything like it, before or since. I played the best football of my career under Bielsa. I still wish him happy birthday every year and receive the occasional voice note, in English!”
The majority who played under Bielsa at Leeds would echo Cooper in admitting their best spell of form came under the Argentinian, and the struggles of recent exits is further evidence. Kalvin Phillips impressed enough to earn a £45million move to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, while Patrick Bamford won a first, and only, England cap after scoring 17 Premier League goals in that ninth-placed season.
Jack Harrison and Luke Ayling were both under serious consideration for England call-ups too during that 2020/21 campaign, and the recent struggles of all four would suggest Bielsa had that special touch. But one player who has undoubtedly improved since leaving Elland Road is Raphinha.
Raphinha Ballon d’Or prediction
The Brazilian lit up Leeds’ Premier League return after joining in a £17m deal from Rennes, starring as part of an exciting team in 2020/21 before at times carrying his struggling side to safety the following campaign. A £50m move to Barcelona has seen the winger get even better, with his dazzling skill on show at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
This season, Raphinha has hit new heights. He is on 24 goals and 16 assists across all competitions, with eight goals in as many appearances in the Champions League. The 28-year-old has also taken on a leadership role, often captaining Barcelona in the absence of regular skipper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
That form has been replicated in the yellow of Brazil and former teammate Cooper believes success for club and country could lead to Leeds’ much-loved former winger being recognised as the best player in the world: “If they win the Champions League and Brazil do something, he’ll get the Ballon d’Or.”