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Start giftingAnd it was Beautiful
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Learn moreUPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 2021/22 SEASON
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
The behind-the-scenes story of the Marcelo Bielsa revolution at Leeds United and their first season back in the Premier League after sixteen years of hurt.
FEATURING FRESH PERSONAL INSIGHT FROM MARCELO BIELSA
On 27th February 2022, after 170 matches in charge, promotion to the Premier League and some of the most exhilarating football the English game has ever seen, Leeds United parted company with their most beloved and successful manager in a generation: Marcelo Bielsa. His parting gift was to embrace the crowds of adoring fans who turned up to say thank you as he left the club's training ground for the final time.
In And it was Beautiful, The Athletic's Phil Hay chronicles Leeds United's glorious first season back in the top flight - which saw them finish ninth - after a chaotic sixteen-year absence. Phil pulls back the curtain on the hallmarks that now define the Marcelo Bielsa era, from his gruelling training schedule - including his infamous 'murderball' sessions - to innovative tactical methods that elevated Championship regulars into Premier League stars. Bielsa performed miracles, turning football into high art and making an extraordinary cultural impact on the city of Leeds. The result is a unique and fitting tribute to a Leeds United icon.
Phil Hay grew up in Penicuik in Scotland and left to study journalism at the University of Sheffield in 1998. He joined the Press Association as a football writer in 2001 and moved onto the Yorkshire Evening Post in 2004, where he became chief football writer in 2006. He held that post for 13 years before leaving to become The Athletic's Leeds United writer in 2019, where he also hosts The Phil Hay Show weekly podcast. He is a Heart of Midlothian supporter and a football obsessive, which has been the case since he was a young boy. You can find Phil on @PhilHay_
Phil Hay grew up in Penicuik in Scotland and left to study journalism at the University of Sheffield in 1998. He joined the Press Association as a football writer in 2001 and moved onto the Yorkshire Evening Post in 2004, where he became chief football writer in 2006. He held that post for 13 years before leaving to become The Athletic's Leeds United writer in 2019, where he also hosts The Phil Hay Show weekly podcast. He is a Heart of Midlothian supporter and a football obsessive, which has been the case since he was a young boy. You can find Phil on @PhilHay_