Liam Cooper has revealed that he went against the grain when he was younger to support Leeds United, the club he now captains in the Sky Bet Championship.  

Leeds are flying high under the leadership of Cooper, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side top of the Championship table with nine games to play; the season is currently postponed due to the outbreak of coronavirus, but the expectation is that when it can resume, Leeds are heavy favourites to go on and win promotion.

The outbreak of Covid-19 has left the Leeds squad on lockdown, which has given Cooper the chance to answer questions put to him by the club’s supporters over recent days.

One supporter has asked Cooper who he supported growing up, with 28-year-old revealing that it was Leeds.

He told the club’s official media: “It's funny really. I don't know why but my dad was always a West Ham fan, my family were Hull City fans, but because I'm defiant, I wanted to go against everyone and support Leeds.

“So it went from there really. My dad tried to drag me to West Ham games, but I never really enjoyed it, especially compared to watching Leeds in the Champions League days. I always had the dream of playing for Leeds, and I've exceeded that in captaining the club.”

Cooper is on the verge of helping Leeds achieve Premier League football for the first time since 2004, and whilst he’s got immense pride in captaining the club, the boyhood supporter he is knows exactly where leading the side to promotion would set him.

He continued: “My name is with a lot of greats and hopefully in a few years I can be remembered for a lot more. I take inspiration from that and strive to be as good as those guys."

QUIZ: Where did these 15 Leeds United players join the club from?

 

The Verdict  

This is a passionate revelation from Cooper, with Leeds United meaning so much to the centre-back.

You can tell that every time he plays, with Cooper wearing his heart on his sleeve and always giving 100% when he leads out Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Additionally, the fact he’d snub a side like West Ham to support Leeds shows the club’s magnitude.

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