Leeds fans make 7,000-mile trip to deliver bucket to Bielsa

Despite departing Leeds nearly two years ago, Marcelo Bielsa is still an admired figure with the club’s fanbase. After all, the Argentine manager previously guided the Whites back to the Premier League in 2020. It was the team’s first season in the top flight since the 2003/04 campaign. Bielsa also instilled an attractive playing style at Leeds that was applauded by fans and pundits around the globe.

The head coach was, however, fired by Leeds in February of 2022 due to poor results. After more than a year out of work, the coach finally accepted a position with the Uruguay national team. The South American side is widely seen as one of the top national teams in the Western Hemisphere.

While Bielsa moved on from Leeds, fans of the club noticed the beloved coach was missing something in South America. Bielsa was regularly seen on the sidelines at Elland Road sitting on a specific bucket. The makeshift chair became a trademark for Bielsa at Leeds. In fact, replicas of the cushioned bucket eventually went on sale at the team’s official shop.

Super Leeds fans determined to reunite Bielsa with bucket

The 68-year-old manager has, however, not been using the bucket during recent matches with Uruguay. Nevertheless, a few Leeds fans decided to reunite Bielsa with his bucket. The group, led by Kaiser Chiefs’ bassist, Simon Rix, packed up a bucket and made the trek from England to Uruguay to hand-deliver the important package.

Leeds fanatics delivered bucket after attending Uruguay match

Fellow Leeds fan James Rowlands also made the 7,000-mile journey alongside Rix. The duo arrived in Uruguay earlier this week, with the package in hand, ahead of the national team’s matchup with Brazil on Tuesday night. Rix and Rowlands attended the match, which Uruguay ended up winning. It was the Sky Blue’s first victory over their South American rivals in two decades.

The following day, the duo then finally delivered the bucket personally to Bielsa at the team’s training facility. The manager will, however, have to wait to use the bucket during an official match. Uruguay plays recent World Cup winners Argentina on Nov. 16. Superstar Lionel Messi will be in contention to face Bielsa’s Uruguay team on the night.

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