I worked with Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United - he changed my life and I owe him everything
Diego Bermudez has hailed the influence that former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has had on his career. The Spaniard was part of the Argentine's backroom staff at Elland Road, working as an analyst.
Bielsa etched his name into Whites folklore with his stylish brand of football and by leading them to promotion to the Premier League in 2020. Three years have passed since Bielsa left United. Bielsa returned to management when Uruguay appointed him as their manager in 2023, with Bermudez following him to the national team.
Bermudez, who first met Bielsa when he was at Athletic Bilbao and presented a report on their next opponent during an open training, told Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia: “Since I learned about Marcelo I began to train. I read a book about him, several on analysis… And I have a good habit of highlighting the most important things in what I read and then recapitulating what is interesting.
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“With that little bit of self-taught learning, I made a report on his next rival, I was lucky that they trained open doors in Lezama, and I decided to meet him. I told him: ‘I bring this, and I would like you to see it’.”
Bermudez said he then received a surprise call from Bielsa and went on to visit the manager in his office at the Basque club. “I arrived and he had my report next to his, which was infinitely bigger," he said. "He asked me if I would mind if we looked at it and he compared it, telling me where he was getting things right, how he could improve it…
“Marcelo told me that if I wanted to continue my training, he would put me in touch with one of his assistants. I interpreted it as a door opening to professional football, and in the end I wasn’t wrong.
“Marcelo changed my life. I owe him everything. On a sporting level he taught me everything and also in terms of work and personal ethics. He is a perfectionist, but focused, he prepares every match to the detail.”
United's fan-base left a big impression on Bermudez, who hopes to become a sporting director in the future. He added: “Leeds is one of the best fanbases because it is one of the few big cities that only has one team. They hadn’t played in the Premier League for many years, we promoted them and then we made the top ten."
