When it comes to crazy football coaches, Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa would likely top the list for many people.
The Argentine has a long and extensive history in the game, having managed clubs all over Europe and the likes of Argentina and Chile as well.
Now, we regularly cover how Bielsa is a man who completely splits opinion, with former players either in love with him or not being fans.
There’s not been much of the latter with Leeds, of course, where he’s been nothing but an idol since the day he arrived.
It’s not always been the case for him, though, with plenty of people who’ve worked or interacted with Bielsa down the years not quite as enamoured with him as those at Elland Road.
One such man is Argentinian journalist Horacio Pagani, who detailed an experience with the Leeds boss in a recent chat with TyC Sports.
“Very good coach, but absolutely inflated by the press to the extreme,” he said.
“He didn’t take Riquelme to the 2002 World Cup. If you don’t bring the best player, the smartest player you have in Argentina, you have a problem.
“I met him at the Copa America in Paraguay. I took the car and drove into the suburbs of Asuncion to where he was.
“When I arrived, I was waiting for him for ten minutes, and I thought he was going to invite me to have coffee to chat.
“He asked me: ‘Do you like to walk? Let’s take a walk.’
“We spent an hour or so walking and talking in those suburbs. He said: ‘You’re not going to publish every bit of this, are you?’
“I said no. He asked me again; I said no again. By the third time was I was breaking my balls.”
