None more so than against his former side Swansea, perhaps Hernandez’ finest moment in a Leeds shirt.

Moments that will stay in the hearts of the Leeds faithful forever. Hernandez was consistently relied upon for his creative intuition, and often took control of games in which his side seemed bereft of ideas - Millwall comes to note, in which Hernandez scored twice, including a late winner, in a 3-2 victory. It’s fair to say that “El Mago” will never be forgotten again in West Yorkshire.Īfter signing permanently in the summer of 2017, the Spanish international went on to make 166 appearances for the club, scoring 34 goals and winning Leeds United’s Player of The Season award for three consecutive seasons in 2017/18, 2018//20. When Hernandez joined on-loan from Al-Arabi in 2017 he was almost a forgotten man, remembered vaguely from his days at Valencia and Swansea City. | Gaetano Berardi has asked The Square Ball to share this open letter with #LUFC fans, alongside the official announcement that, after almost seven years, he's leaving /9TKg6Tq8kx- The Square Ball May 21, 2021

Berardi has also posted an open letter to Leeds fans via The Square Ball: The image of him wielding crutches with the ‘We’re going up’ flag is the perfect image. He signed a 1-year contract extension with Leeds which meant he could be rehabilitated by Leeds’ medical team, and looks set to start this weekend in Leeds’ final game at home to West Bromwich Albion.īerardi will be remembered mostly for his passion - Salim Lamrani nicknamed him ‘The Lion’ - as well as his selflessness for the good of the team. He returned from injury at the end of last season and was picked to start against Derby County in Leeds’ first game as Champions, however he seriously injured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament which would see him sidelined for the best part of a year. He was, however, marred by injuries and restricted to just 13 and 22 appearances in 2018//20 respectively. In two Championship seasons under Marcelo Bielsa, Berardi moved inside to play as a centre-back. He quickly became the personification of the clubs mantra: “side before self, every time”. In the four seasons that followed, and the countless managers in the home dugout at Elland Road, Berardi quickly became a cult hero amongst the fans, revered for his selfless attitude and warrior-like spirit. Official confirmation makes it no easier to say farewell to the pair, who arrived during some of Leeds’ darkest days in the Championship and played a pivotal role in turning the club around both on and off the pitch, culminating in promotion to the Premier League last season.īerardi joined Leeds from Sampdoria in the summer of 2014 as part of a wider contingency of Italian based players including Giuseppe Bellusci, Marco Antenucci and Tomasso Bianchi, although the Switzerland international separated himself from the so called “sicknote-six” who reportedly feigned injury or illness in order to miss Leeds defeat against Charlton. #LUFC can confirm two more of our promotion heroes, Gaetano Berardi and Pablo Hernandez, will sadly leave at the end of the season- Leeds United May 21, 2021

Pablo hernandez