Leeds United: Cellino recruit had worst possible start but left Elland Road a legend - View | OneFootball

Former Leeds United defender Gaetano Berardi announced his retirement from football at the end of last season, ending his 17-year career.

It was with the Whites where he will most fondly be remembered, though. The Swiss full-back played more games for the West Yorkshire outfit than any other side in his career, spending seven years with Leeds.

Gaetano Berardi signs for Leeds

The 2013/14 season saw Leeds survive in the Championship, thanks to the goals of Ross McCormack, who was then sold to Fulham in the transfer window for a fee of around £11 million.

That summer under Massimo Cellino also saw the departure of manager Brian McDermott in favour of David Hockaday, who only had prior managerial experience with Conference side Forest Green Rovers.

They would use the funds from the McCormack sale to put it towards no fewer than 15 signings that summer, and further additions during the January window, too. The majority were not domestic-based players, but from Italy's Serie A, B, and C.

Hardly any of those would leave with much of a positive reputation, with the most successful signings turning out to be current club captain, Liam Cooper, and Gaetano Berardi, in the long-term.

The likes of Tommaso Bianchi, Casper Sloth, Zan Benedicic, Adryan, and Souleymane Doukara were signed during the window, and more of them were infamous than famous during their stints at Elland Road.

Berardi's arrival came on July 19th 2014, when it was announced by Leeds that they had signed the defender to an initial two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Gaetano Berardi's Leeds career

Berardi made his Leeds debut on August 12th 2014, starting the League Cup match against Accrington Stanley, but was sent off for a high challenge, which looked more like a karate kick than a tackle, and received a three-match ban as a result of it.

He continued in similar fashion when, on September 20th, Berardi received his second red card in just his fourth game, after being sent off in a 3-0 win over local rivals Huddersfield Town.

Despite not getting off to the best of starts, regular left-back Charlie Taylor was pushed forward into an attacking left-wing position, meaning that Berardi became a regular fixture in the left-back position for Leeds.

He finished the season in strong form at left back, starting 10 of the last 11 games and becoming a fans' favourite for his performances. That form and versatility would become a big feature of his game.

After Taylor's sale to Burnley, he was forced to feature more at left-back over the coming seasons, but it was under Marcelo Bielsa that Berardi showed his best form at Elland Road, becoming a utility player under the Argentine.

He was well-known for his fierceness, intensity, aggression, and work rate, but under Bielsa he had to play as a centre-back more often, developing into a ball-playing centre-back as a back-up option to the likes of Cooper, Pontus Jansson, and Ben White.

Although his role as a starter diminished somewhat, he was a crucial part of the dressing room, and a well-respected member of the side, as one of the few surviving players from the Cellino-era of signings.

Having signed a short extension to remain with Leeds during Project Restart after the COVID-19 break, Berardi's contract ran out at the end of the 2019/20 season. However, he was allowed to remain at the club's Thorp Arch training ground while completing his rehabilitation from an ACL injury, and, in October 2020, he signed a new one-year contract for Leeds' first season back in the Premier League.

That highlighted how crucial of a member of the squad he was considered by Bielsa and the club, deserving his award of a new deal for his commitment to the club. However, On May 21st 2021, it was announced that Leeds would release Berardi at the end of the season after seven years of service.

Berardi's post-Leeds career

Berardi left Leeds a cult hero, which was aided by the fact he received seven red cards for Leeds, equalling Alan Smith as the most red-carded player in the club's history. Having bid his emotional farewell to the club whilst the stadium remained close to empty after Leeds finished ninth upon their Premier League return, Berardi has fortunately been back since.

First, he penned a deal to sign for FC Sion, back in his native Switzerland, where he stayed for the remainder of his playing career with Bellinzona in his final season last year.

His retirement from the game ended what has been an impressive 17-year career, spanning across three countries. His legacy will remain, as the Championship title-winning squad of 2020 at Leeds was a tight-knit group and their bond clearly extends beyond playing together.

He scored just twice in his career, and both goals came for Leeds, which is particularly fitting.