Despite initial reservations from fans, Leeds United’s choice to transfer Ronaldo Vieira to Sampdoria in 2018 proved to be justified.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Former Leeds owner sold Ronaldo Vieira shortly before Bielsa’s 2018/19 season began.
- Vieira has a good career with Leeds, securing a long-term contract and being elected captain.
- Despite Bielsa’s request to keep him, Vieira was transferred for a substantial price to Serie A club Sampdoria.
Andrea Radrizzani, former Leeds United owner, sold Ronaldo Vieira just four days before the start of the 2018/19 season under Marcelo Bielsa.
Ronaldo Vieira and his twin brother Romario were named after legendary Brazilian football players Ronaldo and Romário. They were nurtured in Portugal, where Ronaldo was recruited to the academy of S.L. Benfica.
However, his football career would eventually take him to England, where local coach Mark Bryden invited him to sign with Whitley Bay Boys Club, a local team near Newcastle. Vieira then relocated to Yorkshire, where he played two seasons in the Huddersfield Junior Football League for Batley Phoenix under Tony Shuttleworth.
Vieira had unsuccessful trials with many Premier League clubs, including Manchester City and Hull City, before transferring to the York-based i2i Football Academy while attending York College.
After a wide-ranging youth career, Vieira joined Leeds on trial in September 2015, after being recommended by Mark Hamilton. He immediately established himself in the academy and was offered a two-year professional contract with Leeds on May 5th, 2016.
Just a few days later, after impressing head coach Steve Evans, Vieira was named to the Leeds bench for the last day of the season against Preston North End, where he made his debut as a replacement for Stuart Dallas in a 1-1 tie.
Ronaldo Vieira’s Leeds Career
The following season, he established himself with Leeds, and shortly after signing his first professional contract, it was revealed that Ronaldo had signed a three-year extension with the Elland Road side. Vieira was now Garry Monk’s first-choice central midfielder, alongside Liam Bridcutt.
He appeared in 38 games in all competitions that season, and on May 24th, 2017, Vieira was rewarded for his impressive form by signing another long-term contract with the club, this time for four years, until the end of the 2020-21 season.
He was identified as a player to build the club around at the close of that season, and despite the squad’s dismal performance on the field, he remained a crucial player under Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom. Vieira was making significant progress and had established himself as an important player.
Vieira played for the England U-21 team in the 2018 Toulon Tournament, which delayed his return to the start of pre-season under new Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Vieira appeared to be at the forefront of Bielsa’s plans after being named captain for Leeds in their pre-season friendly 1-1 draw against York City, and he was tested in a variety of positions during the period, including an unfamiliar new centre-back role against the Yorkshire club.
He also captained the side against Oxford United and Guiseley, where he was deployed in a variety of defensive and midfield roles, and was given the number eight shirt for the Whites’ upcoming 2018/19 season, which many Leeds fans and Bielsa saw as a statement of intent about his involvement.
However, just days later, the midfielder had completed a £7 million transfer to Serie A club Sampdoria. From 2016 to 2018, the England U-21 international appeared in 71 games across all competitions for Leeds.
Vieira’s move surprised the football world; following a pre-season in white, the Italian giants swooped in and paid a big fee for a man with two senior goals to his name.
A good decision for all parties.
In a Q&A with the Athletic, Phil Hay claimed that Bielsa intended to keep the player, stating that: “Bielsa liked Vieira – so much so that he recommended that Radrizzani keep him in 2018, rather than sell him to Sampdoria.”
“Bielsa promised to double his value [but Leeds needed the money for Patrick Bamford].”
He grudgingly let him leave, and the parting of ways made sense in retrospect. The midfielder has spent the last five and a half years in Italy, though he was close to returning to England last summer, but a move to Sheffield United fell through.
He showed a lot of promise before Marcelo Bielsa arrived, and many Leeds fans expected him to be the deepest midfielder, capable of influencing games as a single pivot. That role was eventually filled by Kalvin Phillips, though Bielsa may have meant to deploy him as a box-to-box midfielder in the 4-1-4-1.
Instead, Mateusz Klich played every game of the league season in that position, scoring or assisting 19 times in what was a fantastic personal season for him. Phillips, on the other hand, quickly emerged as the division’s greatest defensive midfielder.
Of course, Bielsa’s forecast came true, but neither he nor Radrizzani will be disappointed with what occurred to the team under the enigmatic Argentine’s leadership. Their quality, combined with Bielsa’s guidance, resulted in promotion a year later.
Meanwhile, Vieira had a successful first couple of seasons at Sampdoria, but his involvement has slowed, forcing him to go out on loan to Hellas Verona and Torino, and he is far from worth double the £7 million paid for his services.
| Ronaldo Vieira’s career stats – as of 16/02/2024* | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Leeds United | 71 | 2 | 4 |
| Sampdoria | 90 | 0 | 5 |
| Hellas Verona | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Torino | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| England U-20 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| England U-21 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
It’s fair to suggest Vieira would have benefited significantly from staying in West Yorkshire, as his development and career haven’t taken him as far as his early potential at Leeds, despite becoming a top-flight player in one of Europe’s big five clubs.
He has eight starts in 13 Serie B matches this season, after Sampdoria was demoted from Serie A at the end of previous season.
