Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United legacy lived on in Friday night’s friendly between England and Uruguay at Wembley.
Marcelo Bielsa has explained the importance behind meeting one his former Leeds United men in Friday night’s England friendly as his Whites legacy lives on.
Four years after his incredible tenure at Elland Road came to an end, promotion-winning ex-Whites boss Bielsa took his Uruguay side to Wembley on Friday where the Leeds love for the Argentine manager was abundantly clear.
Leeds fans with Bielsa flags sang the 70-year-old’s name outside the ground and those flags were then clearly visible around the stadium as the two sides shared a 1-1 draw.
The love for Bielsa continued after the game as Whites fans got in the way of the Uruguay team bus as they asked for a photo, Bielsa smiling and waving as his squad departed the stadium.
"I was just very happy to see him and happy to see how he has developed”
White, who was on loan at Leeds from Brighton under Bielsa, tapped home at the far post to put Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions 1-0 up in the 81st minute but Uruguay were then awarded a controversial late penalty for a dubious White foul and Federico Valverde converted the spot kick to seal a 1-1 draw.
Amid the adoration from the stands for Bielsa, the Argentine boss also headed over to the England bench beforehand to speak with his ex-Leeds defender White.
Asked at his post-match press conference by The Athletic about going over to see White in the England dugout, why that was important and what he said to him, Bielsa explained: “I simply said hello to him.
"Obviously I have known him for a very long time.
"I was just very happy to see him and happy to see how he has developed in his career so I simply just saw him as I was sitting there and it was an opportunity to see him and say hello."
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