Leeds United fans amazed at fact shared on BBC’s QI linking Alan Smith's time with the Whites to South Korea

On an episode of QI broadcast on Friday (January 12) host Sandi Toksvig asked guests Bill Bailey, Nabil Abdulrashid, Victoria Coren Mitchell and Alan Davies if they’d “ever had a ‘Leeds season’”, which was received with blank stares.

She explained that it was a common slang phrase used in South Korea (“lijeu sijeol”) which means “the bygone years where you were more impressive and attractive than you are now”.

The phrase originates from the playing days of Alan Smith, she explained, in that he was considered a “rising star” during his time at The Whites before moving to Manchester United and never again reaching the heights that were expected of him.

She said: “The consensus was that he had peaked at Leeds and in South Korean the phrase caught on. And so your ‘Leeds season’ is the high point in your life, after which everything is downhill.”

Alan Davies was quick to point out that Smith suffered a shocking leg injury while playing for the Red Devils, which greatly impacted the rest of his career.

One Twitter user shared the clip asking: “really? Is this a thing? I really hope not!!! Is it?? Help!!”

One user responded: “Yes, I’ve heard of this before. It’s true actually. The positive bit of this means at least we’re big enough in South Korea to permeate their language.”

Another said: “I'm sure Pablo, Klich, Phillips, Cooper, Forshaw, Ayling and many others will look back and know it was best while at Leeds.”

The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.