Former Leeds United midfielder Olivier Dacourt has admitted his best European night as a player was Leeds’ victory over Deportivo La Coruna in 2001.
L’Equipe have been speaking to the midfielder today about his career and his highlights from it, which undoubtedly included his time at Elland Road.
Dacourt joined Leeds in a €10.5m deal from RC Lens in 2000 and went on to make 82 appearance for the club in total, with three goals and two assists.
He was a part of the very successful Leeds side of that time period, including the side that made it to the Champions League semi-finals in the 2000/01 season.
That year saw them famously taking on the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Lazio in a run that saw them make it all the way to the last four after a superb defeat of Deportivo La Coruña in the quarterfinals.
That remains the club’s last big high point in European football and Dacourt remembers it fondly, admitting it remains a highlight that he continues to think about to this day.
“Leeds – La Coruña, in the quarter-final first leg,” he said when asked about his best European memory.
“We won 3-0 at Elland Road, it was exceptional. Djalminha, Fran, Scaloni… they had a team of sick people, and we ate them alive. The night after the match, it was improbable, we celebrated it well (laughs).
“We knew there was a comeback, but 3-0 in the Champions League… Nobody expected us there, it was magical. In the return, we lost 2-0, we suffered but it was enough.”
