He may have started his career with Manchester United, but it was on the other side of the Pennines that Johnny Giles found the most success. After six years at Old Trafford, Giles joined Leeds United in 1963, then under the management of the legendary Don Revie. A midfielder, Giles quickly became an integral part of the most successful Leeds side in club history – and is perhaps their finest-ever player.
Having spent 12 years at Elland Road in the period that he played, Giles crossed paths with some exceptional footballing talents. Which of those players, though, would make it into his greatest 11 of former teammates? In an interview with Off the Ball, Giles answered that very question. Unsurprisingly, many entrants were part of the team he played within, though Giles himself acknowledged that this meant no disrespect to sides that have followed his own.
Nigel Martyn
Goalkeeper
Nigel Martyn in action for Leeds
A fixture for Leeds United in the seven years he spent at the club between 1996 and 2003, Nigel Martyn is often regarded as the club’s greatest-ever goalkeeper, an opinion shared by Giles. A lightning-quick shot-stopper, Martyn has ranked ahead of John Lukic and Gary Sprake, both of whom helped Leeds win league titles during their stints in West Yorkshire.
“We had Gary Sprake who started as a terrific goalkeeper, who lost his nerve along the way. [Martyn] was an outstanding goalkeeper when he was there.”
Martyn was an integral part of the Leeds teams that, in the 1999/2000 season, reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup before, the following campaign, getting to the final four once more, only in the Champions League, eliminating the likes of Lazio and Barcelona on the way.
|Nigel Martyn Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|273|
|Goals|0|
|Time at Leeds|1996-2003|
|---|
Paul Reaney
Right-back
Debuting for Leeds in 1961, Paul Reaney served as first-choice right-back until 1978, winning seven major honours as a crucial part of that legendary Revie side. A three-time England international, Reaney was a consistent source of praise from his peers and was often ranked as one of the toughest defenders to beat in the world.
Reaney made well over 500 appearances for Leeds, playing with Giles for the entirety of the midfielder’s time at Elland Road. He would enjoy brief spells with Bradford City and in Australia after leaving Leeds, but it was his time at Leeds that cemented him as a footballing legend and to Giles, one of his greatest-ever teammates.
|Paul Reaney Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|749|
|Goals|9|
|Time at Leeds|1961-1978|
|---|
Jack Charlton
Centre-back
England's Jack Charlton
Part of a very small list of English footballers adored by the Irish population for his time as Republic of Ireland manager, Jack Charlton spent the entirety of his 21-year playing career with Leeds United. The World Cup winner lifted one First Division trophy, one Second Division Trophy, and one of both the FA Cup and League Cup throughout his time at Elland Road.
No player has yet surpassed Charlton’s tally of 773 appearances for Leeds, a record that still stands after over 50 years.
“I’d say Jack was the best centre-half in that division for five years. Jack was a good header of the ball, he read it well and was deceptively quick.”
|Jack Charlton Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|773|
|Goals|96|
|Time at Leeds|1952-1973|
|---|
Norman Hunter
Centre-back/Defensive midfielder
Norman Hunter Leeds
Comfortable as either a defensive midfielder or centre-back, Norman Hunter was one of the toughest tacklers of his era. Appearing in over 700 games for Leeds across 14 years, Hunter joined the side in 1961, two years prior to Giles’ arrival from Manchester United. Hunter scarcely struggled with injury and for well over a decade, was a constant in the Leeds first team.
Hunter played over 40 matches as Leeds won the First Division in 1969, a testament to his endurance as a footballer. Bites Yer Legs, as he would become known after the 1972 FA Cup final, was a name made in jest, a response to his style of play that Hunter embraced. Elland Road’s South Stand was renamed after Hunter sadly passed away in 2020, a reminder of the legend that he was.
|Norman Hunter Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|726|
|Goals|21|
|Time at Leeds|1961-1976|
|---|
Paul Madeley
Utility player
One of the earliest examples of a utility player at the highest level, Paul Madeley was Leeds through and through, having been born in the city. Joining United as a youth player in 1962, Madeley would make his senior debut the following year and spend the next 17 years, his entire playing career, at Elland Road.
As said by Giles, Madeley was “seven top-class players in one. He never had a regular position, but he could play in so many positions.”
Madeley’s versatility was crucial for Revie, who knew he could count on the player to fill in wherever was needed, in the face of any injuries to other players. An England international between 1971 and 1977, Madeley made well over 500 appearances for Leeds, as was the norm for many legends of his era.
|Paul Madeley Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|726|
|Goals|34|
|Time at Leeds|1962-1980|
|---|
Peter Lorimer
Attacking midfielder
Peter Lorimer
The youngest-ever player for Leeds United, “HotShot” Peter Lorimer was a lethal finisher, so much so that, to this day, he remains Leeds United’s top goal-scorer of all time, having netted 238 goals for the Whites in his time with the club. From 1962 to 1979, Lorimer was a consistent part of the Leeds United first-team and the attacking midfielder would return, briefly, in 1983 for two further seasons.
Lorimer was renowned for the power he could generate in a shot, something that Giles was evidently aware of:
“Peter could score more goals than Eddie Gray. Peter would make half a yard on the full-back and whizz the ball in (to the net)!”
|Peter Lorimer Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|707|
|Goals|238|
|Time at Leeds|1962-1979, 1983-1985|
|---|
Billy Bremner
Midfielder
Billy Bremner for Leeds United
Leeds United’s greatest-ever captain and for over a decade, Giles’ partner in midfield. Billy Bremner was a favourite of Revie, perfectly encapsulating the manager’s playing philosophies. Bremner was the man that captained Leeds to the bulk of their honours won during his time at Elland Road, between 1960 and 1976, having taken on the armband in 1965.
“It took five minutes (to develop an understanding). You just know. You can’t practice it. When you are playing with great players, you don’t have to practice anything. It happens instinctively. Billy and myself just had this instinctive understanding - a great player, the most confident player I ever played with. Billy was always going to be the star player, in his head!”
|Billy Bremner Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|772|
|Goals|115|
|Time at Leeds|1959-1976|
|---|
Billy Bremner (Scotland), Steven Gerrard (England), Ryan Giggs (Wales) with Union Jack theme Related
11 Greatest British Midfielders in Football History [Ranked]
Two Rangers icons make the list as well as Steven Gerrard as the 10 greatest British midfielders in football history are ranked.
Bobby Collins
Midfielder
A diminutive midfielder, Bobby Collins had been playing football for over a decade before his 1962 move to Leeds United, who signed him from Everton. Having spent nine years with Celtic prior to his time on Merseyside, Collins was viewed as a smart signing, an experienced player to try and steer Leeds away from relegation.
To be labelled as Revie’s best signing by the man himself is no small feat, but a title that Collins wore all the same. He spent five years at Leeds, leading them to an FA Cup final and a second-placed league finish in 1965. Speaking about the midfielder, Giles said:
“He was a hero of mine at Celtic. Bobby Collins started the great winning club at Leeds, in my opinion. Bobby was a great character, match in, match out and during training. He set the trend for that club. He was a great mentor to me - one of the reasons I went to Leeds when they were in the Second Division was because Bobby was there.”
|Bobby Collins Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|168|
|Goals|26|
|Time at Leeds|1962-1967|
|---|
Allan Clarke
Striker
MixCollage-05-Aug-2024-03-45-PM-2552
For £165,000, Leeds United signed Allan Clarke, a striker who would score over 100 goals for the Whites in nine years of service. Known as “Sniffer” for his keen sense of scoring, Clarke scored the winning goal for Leeds in the 1972 FA Cup final, a 1-0 victory over Arsenal.
Clarke was signed for a British transfer record at the time and even still, can be considered a brilliant value-for-money signing. Giles stated:
“Allan will tell you he was a bargain! He was very arrogant, but this arrogance pays off when you’re a striker. Allan would be more likely to score a goal if he missed a shot first.”
Allan Clarke Stats at Leeds United
Appearances
Goals
Time at Leeds
Mick Jones
Striker
After four years with Sheffield United, the club he started at as a youth player, Mick Jones moved to Leeds in 1967, where he would play for the remaining eight years of his career, much to the chagrin of then-Blades boss John Harris. Though Jones would be forced to retire at the age of 30 after a knee injury, that does not take away from how good he was at his peak.
Jones, alongside Clarke, fired Leeds to two First Division titles and two domestic cups, finishing as the top scorer of the European Cup in the 1969/70 season. Speaking about his former teammate, Giles said:
“Mick was a real worker, could work all over the place. He scored a lot of goals but wouldn’t have the confidence of Allan Clarke - one of the most modest lads you could ever meet.”
|Mick Jones Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|312|
|Goals|111|
|Time at Leeds|1967-1975|
|---|
Eddie Gray
Winger
A one-club man, Eddie Gray – great-uncle of Tottenham star Archie Gray – spent a year playing with the reserves at Leeds United after joining the team in 1965 and playing out his entire career at Elland Road. Gray remains a revered figure in West Yorkshire, with modern fans being entirely aware of the former Scotland international’s achievements.
Gray, who would serve as Leeds manager on two separate occasions after his retirement, was a mainstay in the Revie team, known for his dazzling ability on the ball. When discussing Gray, Giles said:
“Eddie was a midfield player with great control. He was a brilliant dribbler, they called him the Leeds George Best! Eddie was a very intelligent player - great control, (he) could make and score goals.”
|Eddie Gray Stats at Leeds United|
|Appearances|579|
|Goals|59|
|Time at Leeds|1965-1984|
|---|
(Stats are from LUFCDATA.com and are correct as of 12/02/2025 )