Olivier Dacourt helped Leeds United to the Champions League semi-finals.
Olivier Dacourt was one of the best Premier League midfielders of the early 2000s.
He was part of the Leeds United team which reached the Champions League semi-finals, and a key player in David O’Leary’s side.
But after O’Leary was fired and replaced with Terry Venables, Dacourt’s Leeds career began to come to an end.
He joined Roma on loan, before the move was made permanent.
He spent three years at Roma, but like at Leeds, was unable to win any silverware.
This eventually changed with a move to Inter Milan, which was rewarded with two league titles in 2006 and 2007.
Nonetheless, Dacourt is unhappy his spell at Roma did not bring success.
He told TMW in an interview this week: “When I left Roma I went to the Inter because they hadn’t won the Scudetto for a long time and I always loved the challenges. In Rome I spent some fantastic years but I regret not having won anything, I was very sorry because the fans deserved it.”
This was similar to his stint at Leeds, where a loyal and committed fanbase watched their team reach the cusp of success, before it all fell apart.
Dacourt, now retired, also weighed in on the pay debate, insisting: “I don’t think that the players should be forced to cut the salary, everyone has their own responsibility and should help the club the need is felt.”
Leeds’ players have set an example in this regard, taking a reduced salary so the club could avoid having to furlough staff.
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