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Leeds United's Patrick Bamford: Premier League's most surprising scorer

2021-03-13T11:01:25.688Z


Patrick Bamford plays a lot of instruments, could have studied at Harvard - and actually he was already branded as a second division striker. But now he could even go to the European Championship for England. What happened?


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Patrick Bamford has been on loan at a number of clubs and has been at home in Leeds since 2018

Photo: Naomi Baker / Getty Images

Patrick Bamford recently achieved a special mark.

His goal to make it 2-0 for newly promoted Leeds United in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace almost a month ago was his 100th goal as a professional footballer.

When Bamford was switched to the Sky Sports TV studio afterwards, he reacted with self-irony to the congratulations: “It's nice to reach 100.

That was probably long overdue, ”he said.

He was alluding to his career.

This turned out differently than hoped.

Nevertheless, it led him to his goal - via detours, but still.

Bamford entered the Premier League at the age of 27 and is one of the league's top scorers this season.

With 13 hits, he is fourth on the best list, ahead of prominent names such as Heung-min Son (Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) and Ilkay Gündoğan (Manchester City).

When Bamford and Eleventh Leeds meet Chelsea FC this Saturday (1.30 p.m., live ticker SPIEGEL.de), who are still unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel, then the striker will also meet his past.

At 18, he had moved from his hometown club Nottingham Forest to the Londoners, hoping for a great career.

But Bamford became part of that legion of young professionals who are loaned out by Chelsea all over the football world, mostly in the hope of selling them for a profit at some point.

Bamford never played a game for the Blues - instead he played for clubs like MK Dons, Norwich City and Burnley FC.

From the third division to the Premier League, everything was there.

He didn't really feel at home anywhere.

The fact that he is an eccentric in his branch also contributed to this.

Bamford comes from a good family and went to private school.

He reportedly speaks German, French, and Spanish, plays the violin, piano, and guitar, and once turned down a Harvard scholarship.

Even in the USA they are amazed

The working-class sport of football has always met someone like that with skepticism.

Burnley coach Sean Dyche is said to have once accused him of being "born with a silver spoon in his mouth."

Bamford says she came from a perfectly normal family.

When you see him in interviews, he comes across as open and humorous.

In 2017, the dream of a great career actually seemed over.

Then Chelsea sold him to Middlesbrough FC, who were relegated to the second-rate championship shortly afterwards.

It looked like Bamford would have to put up with a life as a second division striker.

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Marcelo Bielsa: Those who play under him usually get better

Photo: Mike Egerton / dpa

However, there was one coach who saw more in him - Marcelo Bielsa.

The Argentine signed Bamford, making him the spearhead of his 4-1-4-1 system at Leeds United.

Last season, the striker was instrumental in helping the club return to the Premier League after 16 years with 16 goals and is the most surprising scorer in England's league this season.

"A player who was written off as a second division workhorse has been turned into Ruud van Nistelrooy," marveled the New York Times a while ago.

Even Leeds fans are amazed.

Prior to this season, Bamford had only one Premier League goal on their résumé.

The coach's affection

Bielsa is responsible for the transformation.

He succeeds time and again in raising footballers to a level that one would not have believed them to be capable of.

At Bamford, it plays a big role that the Argentine may be the first coach of his career to really believe in him - and sometimes shower him with love.

There is a wonderful video from Leeds training from November 2018. After a dream goal from Bamford, Bielsa walks a bit ponderously across half the court and hugs him.

The coach is seen as authoritarian and aloof, but he seems to know that Bamford needs affection.

Maybe he read his Twitter profile.

There it says: "The grass is greener where you water it."

Bielsa's requirements also meet Bamford's needs.

The coach measures strikers not just by goals, but by their entire contribution to his exhausting pressing football.

“My first job is to defend.

I have to put pressure on if the opponent wants to build up the game, ”says Bamford.

What is meant by that could be seen in front of his 100th professional goal against Crystal Palace.

Bamford pushed opposing defender Scott Dann on his right-hand side so much that he played a bad pass.

The ball landed at Raphinia via Mateusz Klich (formerly Wolfsburg and Kaiserslautern).

Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita parried his shot - Bamford dusted off.

The striker wears the number 9 on his back, but he is more than that. He can hold the ball and create space for his teammates, is selfless and hits not just close to the goal, but from anywhere.

His coach sees that he is often negligent with his chances, like the last time he lost 2-0 to West Ham United.

With its variability and dedication to the team, Bamford is »the personification of Bielsa's philosophy« - that was the opinion of the »Daily Mail« the other day.

He can even hope to be nominated for the English national team next Thursday, for the first time.

That would be the next surprising milestone for Patrick Bamford.

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Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2021-03-13

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