Andrea Radrizzani tried an inspirational team talk with his Leeds United players ahead of their season opener with Liverpool, he has revealed.
The Whites owner has spoken to SportsPro in a lengthy interview about his stewardship at Elland Road alongside his other business ventures and successes.
While on-field matters are strictly the domain of head coach Marcelo Bielsa, Radrizzani admitted he did gather the players for a talk of his own before the Anfield opener.
“What I said to the team the day before is what I expect of them is to be the underdog, to be the challenger, to be a team that is always hard to beat,” he said.
“That’s exactly what they did in their first appearance in the Premier League, so it made me very proud.”
Ahead of that game, Radrizzani said he had one of the only moments in his career where he has been able to appreciate what he has achieved with a venture.
“It was probably one of the best days of my life because it was the first time in my life I took time to enjoy the achievement,” he said.
“In my life, I never really enjoyed any achievement, even when I got a degree or when I sold MP & Silva or when I launched Eleven.
“At the end, I was really always focused immediately on the next goal or the next activity, and so I never stopped, like a machine.
“It was the first time ever I enjoyed a moment to think about my journey.
“I was thinking about when I was young, as a child, and I was dreaming of becoming a player, and then maybe one day I’d have my own club.
“This time it was for real; I had my club and it was going to play against the best, in the best league in the world.
“That moment was really a moment of joy. It was the first time I realised what I’m doing and where I am.”
