Diego Bermúdez has hailed Leeds United supporters as among the best during a chat with Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia.
The Spaniard was part of Marcelo Bielsa’s backroom staff at Elland Road, working as an analyst.
Bielsa arrived at Leeds in the summer of 2018 and was vital in helping them return to the Premier League in 2020.
The Whites returned to the top division for the first time in 16 years and finished ninth during the Premier League 2020/21 season.
Bielsa left Leeds in February 2022 and returned to management when Uruguay appointed him as their manager in 2023. Bermúdez followed the former Chile and Marseille boss to the national team.
The Spaniard has hailed the former Leeds manager and the important role he had in his career so far.
Bermúdez first met Bielsa when he at Athletic Bilbao and presented a report on their next opponent during an open training. He impressed the South American and it opened the door to professional football.
“Since I learned about Marcelo I began to train. I read a book about him, several on analysis… And I have a good habit of highlighting the most important things in what I read and then recapitulating what is interesting,” he said.
“With that little bit of self-taught learning, I made a report on his next rival, I was lucky that they trained open doors in Lezama, and I decided to meet him. I told him: ‘I bring this, and I would like you to see it’.”
He then received a surprise call from Bielsa and visited the manager in his office at the Basque club.
“I arrived and he had my report next to his, which was infinitely bigger. He asked me if I would mind if we looked at it and he compared it, telling me where he was getting things right, how he could improve it…” Bermúdez explained.
“Marcelo told me that if I wanted to continue my training, he would put me in touch with one of his assistants. I interpreted it as a door opening to professional football, and in the end I wasn’t wrong.
“Marcelo changed my life. I owe him everything. On a sporting level he taught me everything and also in terms of work and personal ethics. He is a perfectionist, but focused, he prepares every match to the detail.”
He then talked about his experience at Elland Road and said English football is “very fast”, especially compared to what he’d known. Bermúdez also made it clear the Leeds United fanbase has left a mark on him.
“Leeds is one of the best fanbases because it is one of the few big cities that only has one team. They hadn’t played in the Premier League for many years, we promoted them and then we made the top ten,” he added.
Bermúdez also discussed his personal goal of becoming a sporting director in the future, but his immediate plan is to continue working with Bielsa.
“I don’t like to think too long term, you don’t know what might come, but I owe a lot to Marcelo. I’m focused on continuing to work with him as long as I can contribute to him,” Bermúdez said.
“Later on, I’d like to be sporting director, I’m passionate about it and I think I have a good eye for spotting talent and helping to develop it.”
Maybe his path can cross with Leeds United again one day.
