Marcelo Bielsa on greeting Ben White as Leeds legacy felt at Wembley | OneFootball

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United legacy was unmistakable at Wembley on Friday night. He explained why greeting former Elland Road defender Ben White before England’s 1-1 friendly with Uruguay mattered.

“I simply said hello to him. Obviously I have known him for a very long time. I was just very happy to see him and happy to see how he has developed in his career so I simply just saw him as I was sitting there and it was an opportunity to see him and say hello.” he told The Athletic.

Four years after his Elland Road tenure ended, the promotion-winning Argentine returned with Uruguay. Leeds fans carrying Bielsa flags sang his name outside, and those flags were clear around the ground during the match.

Before kick-off Bielsa went to the England bench to greet White. Leeds had representation as striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on in the second half. White, who was on loan at Leeds from Brighton under Bielsa, tapped in at the far post to put Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions 1-0 up in the 81st minute.

Uruguay were then awarded a controversial late penalty for a dubious White foul, and Federico Valverde converted to make it 1-1. After the match Whites fans stopped the Uruguay team bus asking for a photo, Bielsa smiled and waved as his squad left.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk