Lucas Radebe talks Leeds United and predicts when the club will be back in Europe

'The Chief' enjoyed 11 years of Premier League football at Leeds after signing from South African side Kaizer Chiefs in 1994.

The defender made 262 appearances for the Whites, captaining a side which ended up in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2001.

He will be forever a Leeds United legend to a generation of the Elland Road faithful and in turn he is thankful for the welcome and support he received.

“Coming from South Africa, I didn’t know any better, and I got to a place called Yorkshire. The people were absolutely brilliant, I think the nicest people I’ve ever met, never mind the players, the fans, because, for me, the one thing that I think kept me going, is seeing the fans and getting in touch with the fans. Signing autographs, even if they didn’t know who I was. The biggest thing was that I appreciated the club that got me playing in the Premiership.

"I was adapting to the football and to living in a different country where I appreciate the people in how they love me unconditionally. I come from a country where they look at the colour of the skin but there I was enjoying the banter with the boys, I was one of them, and I was a Yorkshireman - apart from having to eat Yorkshire pudding, and beef and Tetley bitter and all that!"

Fast forward to Whites watching in 2020 and Radebe is confident with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm a return to European football is on the horizon.

“While Marcelo is there, I believe they will play in Europe soon. It would be absolutely amazing and I can see, in the way they play, they are poised and they want to play in Europe. I think the chairman – he is investing heavily and that shows his intention with Leeds United.

"I think it’s possible that in the next five years they will be in Europe, which will be an absolute achievement, and I will come over for that.”

Radebe was talking to the Doing A Leeds podcast which is hosted by former Whites striker Jermaine Beckford and Leeds-born actor Matthew Lewis.

He also recalled during the podcast how he feared his football career may have finished before it got started when he was shot shot whilst driving with his brother Lazarus to buy drinks for his mother in South Africa in 1991.

“I went to go buy drinks and we were driving, and we heard a gunshot. I was with my brother and cousin in the car, and we heard a gunshot, but because the sound of the guns then was so normal we thought it was a firecracker, until I realised my back was on fire," said Radebe. "Then I reached to my back and there was blood and my left leg went numb, and the car stalled. My brother took over and we went straight to the hospital, and my first question was, ‘will I be able to continue playing football?’”

* Listen to the Doing A Leeds podcast here: https://anchor.fm/doingaleeds*********************

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