It was announced this week that Pablo Hernández and Gaetano Berardi would be leaving Leeds United at the end of the 20/21 season.
They may have only combined for less than fifteen appearances this season, but it is their contributions to return us to the top flight where they will be fondly remembered.
First, Gaetano Berardi.
In the Summer of 2014, Berardi arrived from Sampdoria amidst the much maligned Cellino regime along with several other names from Italian sides. Unlike those other names however, Gaetano imposed himself. Two red cards in his first four games would be indicative of his style, and by the end of his first season, he had emerged as one of the shining lights of a Dark(o) season.
That might not make a lot of sense as a paragraph of praise.
But I’ll take ten red cards for a player who plays with all of his heart over ten goals from a player who plays solely for a wage packet in their pocket. No disrespect to anyone, but a player who gives their soul to every step on the turf is my kinda pro.
And this is just what Bera did. Every time he was out there.
In his farewell letter to fans, he described himself when he arrived at the club as an empty bag. Blowing in the wind. Without big expectations, but with big dreams.
Now, as he departs seven years later, he says that bag is full and heavy. That he has been told he is ‘one of us’.
From this fan to you, Gaetano, you are.
I mean, how many players can be sent off at a crucial point in a play-off semi-final against bitter opponents and be forgiven immediately?
You’re a beaut, and you’re a legend.
Then there’s Pablo Hernández.
You can look at this man’s credentials for the club for a glimpse into his influence.
A three-time Club Player of the Year (2018. 2019, 2020), and EFL Championship Team of the Year member (18/19) should be ‘nuff said. But we’d be missing so much.
Pablo came to Leeds in 2016, reuiniting with former Swansea team-mate, and now Leeds manager, Garry Monk. He immediately showed the quality that had taken him to the Premier League previously and after a few years of wondering where he’d gone, I was so glad he’d turned up at Elland Road.
Everything he did looked effortless. Every pass, every strike; they were flicks of an artist’s paintbrush, deliberate and precise with a gentle intensity. When Marcelo Bielsa arrived in 2018, many questioned whether the then 33-year old would have what it takes to keep up.
Of course he did.
He didn’t just keep up either. More often than not, he was the catalyst for victory. A prime example of this was Leeds versus Fulham on the 27th June, 2020. In the run to our title-winning promotion campaign, this run-in would be a tough test. It was a slender lead at half-time, and then Pab came off the bench. He provided two magical assists, while injured, and then got subbed off, his job completed.
He could just do it.
And for Leeds, he did. Time and time again.
Who else could score the goal to effectively send us up? Fucking perfect.
It’s a hard place to become a legend, but when you do, it’s gotta be the sweetest thing either side of the Mississippi.
These two know exactly how that feels.
I wish ’em the best wherever they end up, and they can always come back home. I’ll take a Bera in his 50’s wiping out the next generation with crunching tackles, and Pab could be 92 years old, I’d still bring him off the bench for thirty seconds to play a perfect pass.
We wouldn’t be where we are without these two people.
We love you.
MOT, always.
Keep it streets ahead,
C.L.R.
