Ronaldo Vieira spent his younger years at Leeds United, before having spells at Sampdoria, Hellas Verona and Torino. He has now opened up on his time at Elland Road.
The midfielder, now the captain of San Jose Earthquakes, played 71 times for the Whites between 2015 and 2018. He was a regular in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns and it did seem he was going to be a star in the future.
Soon, a move to Sampdoria followed and after a slow start, he played 27 times in the 2019/20 campaign. Because of injury problems, he could never build on his progress and unsuccessful loans at Verona and Torino followed.
Now, Vieira has revealed his heartbreak over Leeds United.
Player has fond memories of spell
Now 28, Vieira spoke to Gianluca Di Marzio about how his career has turned out to be. He put special emphasis on his time in Yorkshire.
Appearing grateful about the experience, he said: “Today I speak five languages. Living in different environments and cultures helped me grow and even helped me when I went to Italy alone at twenty.”
Vieira revealed how he felt when he made his debut for Leeds United as a teenager.
“I was a normal boy who wanted to play football and was waiting for his opportunity . When I joined the academy, I knew I had to work twice as hard as everyone else. After a year, I managed to make my debut with the first team: I only played seven minutes, but playing in front of that packed stadium was incredible.”
The midfielder also provided background to his exit from Leeds United, which came about in 2018 when Sampdoria came calling.
He disclosed that all of it happened quickly and left him rather heartbroken. The report also makes it clear that while Marcelo Bielsa wanted to keep him, Andrea Radrizzani wanted a sale.
“I was scared and sad, because I felt part of the project. I left the stadium with my family, got in the car, and went for a drive alone to think.”
Vieira also made it clear that his agent was honest with him and his decision to leave came as a result of his intention to help Leeds United.
“My agent explained to me that I wasn’t obligated to accept. I thought about it and said, ‘If it helps Leeds, I’ll do it.’ I was going to Serie A, to a big team. Two days later, I was in Genoa.”
Career impacted by injuries
Vieira was one of the highest rated talents in the Championship during his time at Leeds United. This promise followed him in his first two seasons at Sampdoria, where he starred under Marco Giampaolo.
But his career never went to plan due to injuries. He constantly picked up muscle problems that restricted his mobility and ability to beat the press or carry the ball.
