NafisaThere is one Leeds United generation that supporters will never forget.
The players who finally ended the club’s agonising 16-year wait for Premier League football in 2019/20 earned a place in the history books that will be difficult for any future squad to match.
Marcelo Bielsa became a cult hero for masterminding the extraordinary promotion campaign, while the players who carried out his instructions became heroes in their own right.
More than six years on, none of those promotion-winning players remains at Elland Road.
Some have enjoyed successful careers elsewhere, while others have seen their paths disrupted by injuries, difficult moves or simply the unforgiving nature of professional football.
Yet that group continues to hold a unique place in the hearts of Leeds supporters.
And now, one of the most recognisable cult heroes from that era has opened the door to a potential return to Elland Road — only this time, it could be in a completely different role.
The former Leeds defender has revealed that he is considering a new chapter in his coaching career and admitted that there is one particular call he would find very difficult to ignore.
Leeds promotion hero opens door to Elland Road return
The player in question is Gaetano Berardi, who spent seven years at Leeds after arriving from Sampdoria in 2014.
Berardi’s Leeds career was never completely straightforward.
There were injury problems and difficult periods, but his attitude on the pitch ensured that he remained hugely popular with supporters.
He was the kind of defender who rarely left anything behind.
His commitment, aggression and willingness to put his body on the line made him a natural favourite among the Leeds faithful, even when his role within the team changed.
Now, after leaving the club in 2021 as a free agent, Berardi has suggested that a return to Yorkshire could eventually be on the cards.
However, it would not necessarily be as a player.
The former defender is looking towards coaching and has admitted that he is open to gaining experience away from Italy and Switzerland.
And should Leeds ever come calling, Berardi made it clear that he would be ready to listen.
“Leeds is still here [pointed towards his heart]”, Berardi said on The Leeds View podcast.
“Maybe I am open to trying a new experience, away from Italy and Switzerland.
“Of course, if one day Leeds calls, I’ll answer.”
Those words will inevitably catch the attention of Leeds supporters who remember exactly what Berardi meant to the club during his seven seasons at Elland Road.
Berardi is a cult hero from that era of Leeds
Berardi made 155 appearances for Leeds after joining from Sampdoria in 2014, experiencing several different versions of the club during his time in Yorkshire.
He was part of teams that struggled to move beyond the Championship’s mid-table before the arrival of Bielsa transformed the atmosphere and expectations around the club.
Under Bielsa, Berardi’s versatility became particularly valuable.
Originally a full-back, the Swiss defender was converted into a centre-back and adapted impressively to the demands of the manager’s system.
His career at Leeds was also marked by significant injury setbacks.
A serious hamstring injury during the 2018/19 campaign threatened to disrupt his progress, but he eventually returned and remained an important member of the squad.
Then came the season that secured his place in Leeds history.
Berardi featured in 22 league matches during the 2019/20 campaign, helping Bielsa’s side finally achieve what generations of Leeds supporters had been waiting for.
Leeds won the Championship title by 10 points and secured promotion to the Premier League after 16 years outside England’s top flight.
For Berardi, it was the culmination of years of work at the club.
His contribution was not necessarily defined by goals or spectacular attacking numbers.
Instead, it was his character and commitment that endeared him to supporters.
That made his subsequent injury setback particularly cruel.
An ACL injury ruled him out for much of Leeds’ first season back in the Premier League, meaning he missed the majority of the campaign that he and his teammates had worked so hard to reach.
Nevertheless, Berardi eventually made his Premier League debut for Leeds in May 2021.
It proved to be his final appearance for the club.
Leeds released him as a free agent later that summer, bringing an end to a seven-year association with Elland Road.
More than five years later, however, his connection with the club clearly remains.
Berardi’s latest comments suggest that while his playing days at Leeds are long gone, he has not closed the door on returning in another capacity.
And given his history with the club, there would be an obvious emotional element to such a reunion.
The 2019/20 promotion generation may have disappeared from the current Leeds squad, but their legacy remains firmly intact.
For Berardi, that legacy is clearly personal.
And if Leeds ever decide to make that call, the former defender has already made his answer clear.
Nafisa
