Former Leeds United defender Gaetano Berardi has claimed that Marcelo Bielsa was 'fundamental' to his success at Elland Road and how he noticed an upcoming Wilfried Gnonto before he signed for the Whites.
The Swiss full-back made 157 appearances for the Whites over six seasons, departing in the summer of 2021 to join FC Sion in the Swiss Super League before moving to AC Bellinzona last year.
But despite only playing under the Argentinian manager for just three of his seven years at Elland Road, the 34-year-old has claimed that he was key to his progression as a player with Leeds.
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"Marcelo Bielsa was fundamental to my career," he admitted to Gianluca Di Marzio earlier this week. "He was always attentive to details.
"Even if the day before he had played a good game, the day after he would only highlight the mistakes we had made and convince you that he had played a bad game.
"He had arrived a few weeks ago and we were on retreat. With his translator he decided to let us do an hour-long activity where we collected garbage in a park.
"I must say it was very interesting. He made us understand how many sacrifices fans make to earn the cost of the ticket and come and see us."
Knowing that he was unlikely to be part of the club's plans after their promotion to the Premier League, Berardi explained that he wanted to move back to Switzerland after starting his family - but knows he was a fan favourite in Leeds.
"He always pushed me to get back because he wanted me to make my debut. But he said I had to recover well because he didn't want me to make a bad impression.
"It was an important emotion. We were just a few days from the end but it was very fought. [It was] a decision taken together with my family. We wanted to get closer to home also because my son was just born."
The 34-year-old's move back to his home country meant that he crossed paths with a new fan favourite at Elland Road - having come up against a young Wilfried Gnonto in his FC Zurich days.
"I didn't know him much but everyone was talking very well about this young man. He had come on in the second half and gave us a lot to do in defence!"
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