Gaetano Berardi picked up his seventh red card for Leeds United last week.
Gaetano Berardi is really starting to divide Leeds United fans.
There was a time when the 30-year-old was unanimously adored by the Elland Road faithful.
His passion and no-nonsense attitude have been a breath of fresh air for Leeds supporters at times, having joined way back in 2014.
But his hot-headed nature has cost the team on quite a few occasions.
It was only last week when Berardi picked up his seventh red card for the club in a playoff semi-final defeat by Derby County at Elland Road.
In doing so, the Swiss is now level with Alan Smith as the most sent-off player in United’s 100-year history, as raised by a popular fan account on Twitter [LUFC Data].
He picked up three red cards in 29 Championship starts last season, and a lot of fans on Twitter reckon that Berardi – contracted until 2020 – should be sold now.
You can understand their frustration. Seven minutes after Berardi’s dismissal last week, Derby scored the goal which killed Leeds’ dream of reaching the Premier League.
Given that promotion was on the agenda for so long last season, failure cut deeper than ever before this season and although it’s harsh to scapegoat Berardi for it, his ill-discipline didn’t help.
Berardi, who earns £8,000 per week in West Yorkshire [Daily Star], joined the club under David Hockaday in 2014, making 120 Championship appearances since.
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