The Argentine has set an exceptional standard, both on and off the pitch, for Whites bosses to come.
He delivered what, for many years, felt like the impossible dream for Leeds fans in securing the Whites' long-awaited promotion to the Premier League, while earning the admiration of the city and the club's global fanbase.
In his second season as a Premier League manager, faltering form forced Bielsa to defend the footballing principles he developed over his 40+ year career as a manager, but sticking to his guns proved costly.
In February, Leeds lost four league games in a row for the first time under Bielsa in a challenging string of results which put United's hard-fought top-flight status in peril, causing the the club and coach to part ways on Sunday February 27.
We’ve worked out where Bielsa ranks among the club’s best and worst managers over the last 30 years, in order of win percentage.
Included are every manager who’s directed the Whites on a matchday since 1991, caretakers and all.
1. Darko Milanic - 0%
With no wins in six, Milanic is comfortably the worst Leeds United manager of the last thirty years. A left-field choice brought in to replace David Hockaday, Milanic had previously won fifteen pieces of silverware at Slovenien club Maribor, where he was sent packing after just three winless games in a row. Massimo Cellino was positively generous in 2014, then, when he allowed the Slovenien six bites at the cherry before dismissal. Milanic now manages a first division team in Cyprus. Photo: Nigel Roddis
2. David Geddis - 0%
The final member of the 0% club. On his one day at the helm in 2006 the Reserves coach oversaw the Whites’ round three league cup exit at the hands of Southend United. Geddis wasn’t entirely to blame, though, since the incoming gaffer Dennis Wise had instructed him on who to start having agreed the terms of his appointment earlier that day. Photo: Steve Riding
3. Uwe Rösler - 16.7%
The East German who once compared his ‘heavy metal’ attacking football to the style mastered by Jurgen Klopp. His assessment didn’t quite match up with the results he achieved during his time at Elland Road, sadly, and Rösler was sacked after a 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, having won two in twelve games. Photo: David Rogers
4. Gwyn Williams - 0%
Technical director Gwyn Williams could do little damage on the one day he took the reins between Dennis Wise’s departure and the appointment of Gary McAllister. The 1-0 home loss to Doncaster he took charge of was sooner forgotten than the circumstances under which he left five years later, when he was dismissed following the exchange of inappropriate emails to colleagues. Photo: Tony Johnson
5. John Carver - 20%
John Carver made a winning start to his stint as caretaker manager following Kevin Blackwell’s limp start to the 2006/2007 season. It soon proved to be beginner’s luck, though, as Carver lost the four games that followed. The powers-that-be were so unimpressed that they brought in a caretaker for the caretaker, refusing to allow Carver just one more game in charge while they waited to secure Dennis Wise. Ouch. Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe
6. Eddie Gray - 23.1%
Under enormous pressure to turn around the fortunes of his beloved Whites, Eddie Gray was handed the head coach role on a temporary basis. At the centre of a crisis, Gray was able to initially steady the ship before Leeds went into a downward spiral at the start of 2004 which condemned them to relegation. Photo: Phil Cole