Elland Road has been home to many Leeds United greats over the years.
Even when the Whites weren’t competing in the Premier League, there were a handful of top stars always entertaining the West Yorkshire masses, with names such as Luciano Becchio and Pablo Hernandez sticking out, among many others.
Of course, the current crop is beloved in their own right, having just lifted the Championship title on a mammoth points haul of 100 points.
But, they have some catching up to do in the daunting environment of the Premier League to be seen in the same glowing light as some past top-flight icons at Leeds, with Lucas Radebe still viewed as an all-time hero, twenty years on from his final outing for the club.
Radebe's heroics at Leeds
Costing just £250k to obtain in 1994 from South African side Kaizer Chiefs, not many would have anticipated that many years down the line, Radebe would end up being Leeds’ formidable captain in the Champions League against the likes of AC Milan.
Still, despite a slow beginning to life at Elland Road, which saw him make just 12 appearances for the club during his debut season, the no-nonsense number 5 would eventually leave a lasting mark on the Leeds faithful, with Radebe going on to be affectionately known as “The Chief” for his warrior-like showings.
Starting his really early playing days as a goalkeeper, Radebe would ultimately find his calling in England as a tough and bruising centre-back figure, with ex-Leeds teammate Nigel Martyn referring to him as a “fierce competitor” when glowingly recalling his career in 2021.
Further lauded as an “absolute legend” by Martyn, the 70-time South Africa international’s vital importance to the Leeds cause is clear to see when looking back on his long-standing stay at the club, with 260 appearances picked up by Radebe across ten seasons, even seeing the Whites get near to Champions League glory at the turn of the millennium.
Unfortunately, persistent knee problems would see his minutes deplete by the close of those ten long campaigns, but with Radebe recently being unveiled as a new club ambassador, it’s clear he’s still held in high regard to this very day.
Amazingly, Daniel Farke could well have a Radebe-type player on his hands right now.
Farke's own Radebe-type star
Since Radebe hung up his boots, there haven’t been an overflowing amount of standout number fives who have pulled on that famous number, with Ben White one notable name, among transfer misfires such as Robin Koch and Giuseppe Bellusci.
Instead, it could well be Leeds’ current number 6 that embodies Radebe most closely in Joe Rodon, with the Welshman very much a full-blooded presence for Farke and Co, in the same vein as the South African before him.
He has even used his aerial expertise this season to power home a header versus AFC Bournemouth at the end of September, with the Swansea-born “warrior” – as he has been labelled by his manager – only one goal shy of Radebe’s goal count.
But, it’s his overall numbers in a defensive sense that put him even more on the same pedestal as the feared former number 5, with Rodon routinely putting his body on the line and coming up clutch in crunch moments to ensure his side isn’t breached at will.
Games played
43
46
7
Goals scored
0
1
1
Assists
0
0
0
Touches*
83.7
92.2
61.3
Accurate passes*
66.0 (91%)
75.1 (92%)
43.7 (91%)
Ball recoveries*
4.2
4.0
2.3
Clearances*
4.5
5.0
6.6
Total duels won*
4.7
4.3
5.1
Clean sheets
17
25
2
Rodon has undoubtedly become as crucial for Farke as Radebe was for the litany of managers he worked alongside at Elland Road, with the 27-year-old collecting a mightily impressive 44 clean sheets across three seasons of league action.
Yet, he hasn’t always had it his own way at Leeds, with the disappointment of promotion falling through at the close of the 2023/24 season meaning he could have walked away from West Yorkshire for good, having only been at the club on loan.
He opted to join permanently for £10m instead and in the words of journalist Isaac Johnson, he has since gone on to be in the debate as Farke’s “most important player.”
It will now be up to the resilient defender to steer his side to immediate Premier League safety, with the potential very much there for him to be known as a top-flight great, much like Radebe is forever immortalised as.
