Tony Yeboah - Fans memories of a Leeds United superstar

He was quite simply a goalscoring superstar.
Tony Yeboah. PIC: Steve RidingTony Yeboah. PIC: Steve Riding
Tony Yeboah. PIC: Steve Riding

Tony Yeboah enjoys cult hero status among the Elland Road faithful thanks to a vast array of explosive goals during his time in LS11.

He arrived at United in January 1995 for a club record £3.4m from Eintracht Frankfurt and proved to be worth every penny during his whirlwind spell which seemed to be over almost as soon as it began.

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“I’d never actually seen him play but I watched him a lot on Eurosport,” said manager Howard Wilkinson a few months after completing the transfer, “I remember thinking ‘Christ, what a player!’”

Tony Yeboah celebrates his hat-trick against Ipswich Town at Elland Road in April 1995. The Whites won 4-0.Tony Yeboah celebrates his hat-trick against Ipswich Town at Elland Road in April 1995. The Whites won 4-0.
Tony Yeboah celebrates his hat-trick against Ipswich Town at Elland Road in April 1995. The Whites won 4-0.

When Yeboah rocked up mid-season bagged his first goal in United colours with virtually his first touch in a 3-1 FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford and three days later, he made his first start and scored the only goal in a home win over Everton.

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It was a sign of things to come with Yeboah finishing as the Whites top scorer - plundering 13 goals in 16 starts - and helped fire them into the UEFA Cup.

Spectacular was the Yeboah byword and the question remains where do you start? He produced two of the most iconic strikes the club has ever seen within a month of each other - against Liverpool at Elland Road in front of the Sky TV cameras and at Selhurst Park

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And his time with Leeds also included three hat-tricks - against Monaco in the UEFA Cup, Wimbledon at Selhurst Park and Ipswich Town at Elland Road, the latter of which prompted Sgt Wilko to describe him as 'world class'.

Your YEP has asked the Elland Road to share a memories of the Ghanaian goalscorer who was voted Player of the Year in his second season with the club.

Responses included:

David Jones-Vicary - " My first ever Leeds game in 1995 and he scored the screamer against Liverpool."

Michael Seaman - "Yeboah scoring in a 3-1 win on Christmas Eve against Man Utd. Magical!"

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Rob Llewellyn - "The fearless audacity of shooting from the kick off and smashing the crossbar."

Ray Ebanks - "Was at Selhurst Park to witness that goal against Wimbledon mind you Carlton Palmer also scored a beauty that day."

David Gillespie - "Hard to find anyone better to be honest."

Richard Brown - "Monaco away spent eight hours on a train from Lloret de Mar. What a few days that was."

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Dan Beavers Boyle - "A Bielsa fit Yeboah in this team would score 30+ goals with ease."

Richard Johnston - "He was on a different level on his day. Total class."

James Wood - "Absolutely amazing. Capable of things not many could match."

Oliver Whyman - "Amazing player, he was the first player I had on the back of my shirt."

Nick Reynolds - "Insane. Absolutely unplayable at times."

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Dilip Khednah - "Words cannot describe how good he was wearing the Leeds utd shirt. He was a touch of magic in someways."

John Irons - "Very good player. Strong and could hold the ball up and bring other players into the action. Also had a tremendous shot."

David Hourigan - "He had the build of a middleweight boxer. Very strong and difficult to knock off the ball and as everyone else has said he was very skilful."

John Illingworth - "Absolute beast of a forward. Was sat directly in line with him when he hit that goal against Liverpool."

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Richard Jones - "As magic as being three quarters of the way up the kop right behind the goal when THAT goal flew in! What a memory!"

Richard Bogdan - "He was class! Out of this world! One of Leeds’ finest! A legend."

Stuart Lusted - "Hat-trick in Monaco for my first European away trip was pretty special and included a thunderbolt of a goal too."

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Laura Collins