The Ultimate Leeds United Title Winning XI
Leeds United have twice conquered the Championship in the last five years, doing so with two very different squads. In this blog we build the ultimate title-winning XI by combining the best of the 2019–20 and 2024–25 teams, using SofaScore ratings to guide the picks.
Goalkeeper:
With 2019/20 Illan Meslier and 2024/25 Karl Darlow featuring only sparingly, the comparison for this combined XI narrows to Kiko Casilla in 2019/20 versus Illan Meslier in 2024/25.
Both keepers were far from perfect, committing eight errors between them across the two title-winning campaigns. But it was Casilla that posted a higher SofaScore rating of 6.91 that season, narrowly beating Meslier’s score of 6.85.
GOALKEEPER: Kiko Casilla
Right Back:
One of many difficult choices for our XI, both Luke Ayling and Jayden Bogle became fan favourites in their respective title-winning seasons. Both were solid defensively and contributed plenty to the attack, with Ayling registering 8 goal involvements in 37 games, compared to Bogle's 10 in 44.
SofaScore though has Ayling ahead with an overall rating of 7.26, narrowly edging out Bogle at 7.20.
RIGHT BACK: Luke Ayling
Centre Backs:
On the right side of defence, we face another tough decision of selecting between Ben White and 'Rolls Royce' Joe Rodon. Both players were pivotal in their title-winning campaigns, playing nearly every minute of their respective season. Their consistency and reliability were key to both teams' success, with each contributing to excellent defensive records and in building attacks from the back.
SofaScore though ranks Joe Rodon ahead with an overall rating of 7.17, just edging out Ben White with a rating of 7.06.
The left side of defence proves just as challenging, with a tough competition between former captain Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk. With key goals likely playing a significant role in the algorithm, Struijk takes the edge with a SofaScore rating of 7.23, compared to Cooper's 7.07.
CENTRE BACKS: Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk
Left Back:
The left-back position sees club legend Stuart Dallas go head-to-head with our latest hero, Junior Firpo. SofaScore ratings place these two players quite far apart, likely influenced by Firpo's very impressive goal contribution, with 14 goal involvements compared to the 8 of Dallas.
SofaScore awards Junior Firpo a season rating of 7.39, trumping Stuart Dallas’ score of 7.04.
LEFT BACK: Junior Firpo
Central Midfield:
In the holding role, shielding the back four, we face yet another tough decision of selecting between Kalvin Phillips and Ethan Ampadu—arguably the two most crucial players in their respective systems.
SofaScore has just a 0.06 difference in their ratings, but it's Kalvin Phillips who comes out on top, with a score of 7.28 compared to Ampadu's 7.22.
Partnering Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich goes up against new fan favourite Ao 'Tiger' Tanaka. Both played over 3,000 minutes of Championship football in their respective title-winning campaigns, and each contributed significantly to their team's goal tally. However, it’s Ao Tanaka who edges ahead with a SofaScore season rating of 7.19, compared to Klich’s 7.07.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Kalvin Phillips and Ao Tanaka
Right Wing:
The right-wing position sees Helder Costa go up against Dan James. In what is very much a one-sided contest, SofaScore gives Dan James a landslide victory over his predecessor, with a season rating of 7.25 compared to Helder Costa’s score of 6.76, the lowest score of Bielsa's starting XI.
RIGHT WING: Dan James
Left Wing:
Another landslide victory on the left side of the attack sees Manor Solomon comfortably outperform Jack Harrison by a margin of 0.5 in the SofaScore ratings. This goes to show the exceptional quality Championship full backs have faced this season on both sides of our attack. Solomon earns a record-high rating across both teams with 7.45, while Harrison trails behind at 6.95.
LEFT WING: Manor Solomon
Attacking Midfield:
There’s only one winner here. Pablo 'El Mago' Hernández was exceptional in the 2019/20 season, dragging his side over the line on our way to Premier League promotion. Unsurprisingly, he outshines Brenden Aaronson in the SofaScore season ratings.
Pablo posted a Bielsa-era high of 7.35, compared to Aaronson’s 7.00—a rare and emphatic victory for the Bielsa XI.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD: Pablo Hernandez
Striker:
The final piece of the team sees the 2019/20 version of Patrick Bamford go head-to-head with Joel 'No Piroe No Party' Piroe. Both were prolific in front of goal during their sides’ promotion-winning campaigns, but when you have the Championship Golden Boot winner in the mix, it’s hard to look past him—and SofaScore agrees.
Joel Piroe edges it with a season rating of 7.08, outperforming Bamford’s score of 6.88.
STRIKER: Joel Piroe
This comparison of these two sides showcases the standout talent from two unforgettable title-winning teams. While stats like SofaScore ratings help draw distinctions, every player across both title-winning teams played a key role in their side's success.
Do you agree with the SofaScore combined XI?
