While Don Revie’s Leeds United were staking a claim as the best team in Europe, South American football was enjoying its own golden age.

In the early 1970s, it still boasted all the legendary Brazilians playing domestic club football — Rivellino at Corinthians, Jairzinho at Botafogo, Carlos Alberto and Pele at Santos. It was the fertile ground for developing César Luis Menotti’s World Cup winning Argentina. Independiente had an unprecedented four year domination of the Copa Libertadores, the European Cup equivalent, while giants like Sao Paulo, Palmeiras and Santos contested the Brazilian title.

Taking place before intercontinental televisation and a more globalised club game, the glory years of former European giants like Leeds, Saint-Étienne and Celtic have flown under the radars of many, diminishing their prestige in a worldwide context.

Howard Wilkinson’s 1992 title winners suffered the same fate, as the last Football League champions before the Premier League became an international success and South American talent began emigrating to Europe en masse, making it the undoubted epicentre of top-level football. Of course, Peter Ridsdale later flirted with making Leeds a global force, but the club inevitably collapsed under the weight of his hubris.

The BBC’s South American expert Tim Vickery says: “There is some knowledge of Leeds. The Champions League side of the previous decade was on the radar, along with the financial implosion. But I don’t think there’s much awareness of how good the Revie side were.”

Not only are Leeds missing out nowadays on the revenue from broadcasting rights, risen by 400% since relegation in 2004, but there’s a sense of being left behind in the eyes of the world. Clubs like Bournemouth and Leicester are nauseatingly ‘building a brand’ and doing tours of Europe and Asia, while in many countries Leeds are gradually fading out of view.

But that’s all changing, and Leeds didn’t even need to get promoted to make it happen. It’s not because the trip to war-torn Myanmar was a brilliant marketing success, the badge debacle inviting the lukewarm banter of Americans, or even people waking up to the irresistible genius of an on-form Samu Saiz. It’s all on Marcelo Bielsa, who has captured hearts and minds everywhere he’s been.

‘Leeds’ footballing evolution is quicker than Bielsa learning to speak English,’ was the headline in La Nación, one of Argentina’s biggest daily newspapers, after the opening win over Stoke.

And you can’t move for updates, match reports or features about ‘El Loco’ in Olé, the Argentinian sports daily: features with wonderful, surreal headlines like ‘Another kind of Bielsa in Leeds’, ‘Leeds Argentinian Legacy’, ‘Bielsa, the garbage pile, and the country he admires’ and ‘Bielsa, the entertainer’ are interspersed with stories about PSG’s Thomas Tuchel emulating his famous bucket on the sidelines or the man himself watching the Under-23s in Guiseley, a town almost certainly getting a first ever mention in their pages.

“Ever since I first saw him in a press conference in 1999 I’ve been absolutely fascinated by him,” says Tim Vickery. “Now that the Championship has got Bielsa, one of the most influential, charismatic and idiosyncratic coaches of recent times, it means that Leeds are all over the Argentine press and they’re following everything. And how could they not follow the press conferences? They’re straight out of Monty Python.”

But outside of his God status in Rosario, his mixed record in charge of the national team (a World Cup group stage exit, an Olympic gold medal, and a Copa America final, lost on penalties to Brazil after a last minute equaliser) means Bielsa is a divisive figure for the rest of Argentina. But that’s not the case in Chile, where he is credited with sowing the seeds for their greatest ever successes and back-to-back Copa America wins.

Santiago resident Adam Brandon, who covers Chile for WorldFootballIndex.com, says: “He will forever be loved here for what he gave Chilean football: a style of play, confidence to attack and respectability. He seems to be loved by everybody, no matter who they support politically or football wise. Nobody has had such an impact on the mentality of the country and how Chileans see themselves as a football nation.

“The Chilean press, like everybody else here, love Bielsa and follow his every move. Everybody becomes a part-time fan of the team he manages and wants to see their matches. Popular football websites here like Redgol and El Grafico have updates on his progress with Leeds, as do all the newspapers.”

It extends beyond just the places he’s loved. Both of Leeds’ first two matches in The Championship were televised across the whole South American continent on ESPN Latin America, while the press box at Elland Road had an unusually international feel in the opener against Stoke, with journalists covering it for Spanish, Japanese and Mexican outlets.

Tom Marshall, the Mexico correspondent for ESPN, was there and interviewed TSB’s Moscowhite for his match report, headlined: ‘Marcelo Bielsa’s emotional journey at Leeds United begins in style’.

Marshall says: “Bielsa’s reputation in Mexico is positive. The fact that his name is mentioned every time the Mexico job comes up tells you that. It was a long time ago that Bielsa managed Atlas (‘92-’94) and Club América (‘95-’96). At Atlas, the work he was most revered for was seen in the following years when his extensive scouting programme unearthed the likes of Rafa Marquez, Pavel Pardo, Oswaldo Sanchez etc.

“It’s also probably worth mentioning that former Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio is friends with Bielsa. He would mention him regularly in press conferences and interviews, which obviously raised interest.”

Naturally, the interest in Bielsa has led to regular media coverage in Mexico too. Marshall continues: “Like anywhere, Mexico is driven by the ‘super-clubs’ — especially Real Madrid (Hugo Sanchez) and Barcelona (Rafa Marquez) — but those who really know football do have an understanding that Leeds are a big club and that Bielsa has arrived at a sleeping giant of English football.

“When he asked players to pick up rubbish at Thorp Arch, that was a main headline in the Mexican press. So far on Sky in Mexico, both Leeds United’s games have been shown live, and he’ll be making headlines in most of his pre-match press conferences.”

Almost everywhere he’s been, a theme emerges: intoxicating football, a captivating presence and an indelible imprint on the culture at the club or country. From the first whistle of the first game, Leeds have been given a taste of what it means to have him as manager, playing with the sophisticated movement and intense pressing of his best teams.

Going from a curious mystery to bookies’ favourites for promotion after just two games, all the while arguably treating fans to the best football in over a decade, Leeds have been the story of the season so far.

Shortly after winning the Community Shield, Benjamin Mendy — who developed under Bielsa at Marseille — was scrolling through all the deliriously excited comments on Leeds United’s Twitter, calling it “[The] Bielsa effect”, appropriately enough with heart-eye emojis.

Jamie Carragher and Gary Lineker are noted fans of his singular interview style, The Telegraph suggest Jose Mourinho take a leaf out of Bielsa’s book, while the UK’s most prominent football writer, Henry Winter, was dispatched to sample some sweet Carabao action in the first round tie against Bolton.

Never has a football club in the second tier ever received so much attention. We’re not famous anymore, eh? ◉

(This article was published in TSB 2018/19 issue 02 and is free to read as part of TSB Goes Latin.)

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