Leeds United have had several famous strikers over the years.
Chris Wood and Ross McCormack have each scored around 30 goals in the Championship for Leeds, while Luciano Becchio and Jermaine Beckford were prolific in League One.
Back in the Premier League, Leeds had Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Robbie Keane, and others scoring goals.
Leeds hasn’t had the same kind of success at that position in recent years. Aside from Patrick Bamford’s 17-goal return in the 2020/21 Premier League season, he and others who have played there have not been particularly prolific.
Having said that, it could have been very different. Leeds came close to signing Erling Haaland while he was a teenager at Molde. Victor Orta even showed him around Thorp Arch, according to the Daily Mirror.
Ultimately, a move was deemed too pricey, and that choice has proven costly, with former Leeds supporter Haaland becoming one of the world’s deadliest attackers.
Haaland suffers as City are dumped out of Champions League
Despite all of Haaland’s success since joining Manchester City, his form has dipped in recent weeks, with him failing to score in a crucial Champions League encounter against Real Madrid.
City were eliminated on penalties by Madrid Friday night, with the Spanish side once again keeping Haaland out of the game, despite a number of great chances with his head.
Haaland got only 21 touches in the game, most of which came when the ball was pushed into his feet and then rebounded off him.
Henry agrees that former Leeds striker Viduka was far more physical than Haaland
Jamie Carragher highlighted his hold-up play on CBS Sports after the game, asking another renowned attacker, Thierry Henry, why he couldn’t cope with Madrid’s defenders’ aggression.
Though Henry was critical of his first touch, he believes Haaland is simply not the type of striker who enjoys physical contact from defenders, using former Leeds great Viduka as an example of someone who was far better at it than him.
Carragher asked, “Why do you believe Erling Haaland, for his size, dislikes physical touch with the defender?
Henry said, “I did not like it. It is the same. I am not little. But that’s not my thing. I wasn’t Drogba, Viduka, or Shearer. I don’t think he’s the type of player who will go out and play like that, but at the very least, you need to be able to manage the ball.”
