Steffan Freund opens up on his memories of visiting Leeds United as an opposition player.
Steffen Freund has revealed to The Daily Mail that he didn’t enjoy trips to Leeds United during his time as a Premier League player.
The former Germany midfielder, a Champions League winner with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, spent five years at Tottenham Hotspur until 2003.
It was former Leeds boss and Arsenal icon George Graham who brought him to White Hart Lane.
And although he acknowledges that the atmosphere at Elland Road was ‘outstanding’, Freund recalls being spat at by Leeds fans occasionally – but he loved it.
He told The Daily Mail: “George had won everything —but it was for the wrong club. The supporters didn’t like him from his past with Arsenal. And Leeds, because it’s not a club we all love, right?
“The atmosphere is outstanding at Elland Road but sometimes you’d go to take a throw and they’d spit on you.
“No problem, I loved it when it was boiling. I loved the crowds in England and I loved the respect. Even Arsenal supporters would respect me. I always gave 100 per cent — that was the key to a place in the hearts of the supporters.”
There is every chance that Premier League players will experience the famous atmosphere in West Yorkshire next season.
Leeds are second in the Championship and look like real promotion contenders, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side boasting a three-point cushion in the top two.
The Whites have been absent from the top flight since 2004 and although there have been some false dawns since then, seasons where they have looked like going back up, this one feels different so far.
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