Marcelo Bielsa left a huge mark on Athletic Club Bilbao.
The Basque club may not have won anything whilst he was manager, but their European adventure and attractive way of playing football mean Bielsa is remembered warmly around the club.
Several of the team who played under Bielsa were expected to go on and be huge stars and that’s not quite been the case for most.
One was Oscar de Marcos, the 29 year old impressed repeatedly under the current Leeds United manager but chose to remain at his regional club.
Bielsa recently praised De Marcos as being the ideal captain, for his qualities as both a footballer and a man. Those comments, made in a Leeds United press conference, naturally made their way back to Bilbao.
De Marcos heard them and has been asked for his response, which is as gushing as would be expected.Mundo Deportivo’s Basque edition quotes the right back as saying: “His words have reached me. I am proud, that a person that I admire so much speaks about me makes me very happy. I could read it, listen and it makes me emotional.”
With a contract expiring in June 2019, De Marcos will soon have to make a decision about his future, which means endless Leeds United links are to be expected.
