Leeds United's Greatest XI of the Modern Era - But Only Picking One Player From Each Country

From the struggles of dealing with the revolutionary ditching of the back-pass law at the start of the Premier League era following title triumph in 1992, to their financial woes in the early noughties; it's been a rollercoaster ride for Leeds fans over the past 30 years.

And in between all that came a period of prosperity. 

One of the legacies left behind by legendary boss Howard Wilkinson was the substantial development of the youth academy, and under the tutelage of promising coach David O'Leary, ​Leeds becoming something of a Premier League force; returning to the Champions League with an exciting youthful core at the heart of their success. 

Nevertheless, following 15 years of fighting it out in the trenches of the second and even third tiers, Leeds look set to return to the top flight whenever football returns under their genius of a manager, Marcelo Bielsa. 

So, in what's been an interesting three decades, to say the least, at Elland Road, here's their greatest XI of that period and of course, we're only picking one player from each nation to make it just that little bit tougher...

Neil Sullivan (GK)

While he was born in England and played out his entire career there, Neil Sullivan took Scottish citizenship and represented the country at international level.

The big man made 102 appearances for Leeds over three seasons, keeping a mightily impressive 26 clean sheets.

Remarkably he managed to rack up 20 yellow cards throughout his playing career too.

Luke Ayling (RB)

A particular beneficiary of the arrival of El Loco, Ayling has established himself as a key spoke in the Argentine's promotion-chasers this term.

The versatile defender was announced in The Guardian's 'Football League Team of the Decade' in December last year, winning the Championship's Player of the Month on two occasions this season as well.

Ayling's incredible volley against Huddersfield - which still couldn't budge Bielsa's backside form his bucket - may prove to be a watershed moment in Leeds' bid to return to the top flight and hopefully, we'll see a peaking Ayling in the Premier League soon.

Lucas Radebe (CB)

The man who inspired the name for popular British indie band Kaiser Chiefs, Lucas Radebe is regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the modern era to those of a Peacock persuasion. Spending 11 years at Elland Road, his career was slightly blighted by injuries but that didn't stop him becoming a cult hero.

Radebe captained Leeds through their most successful period in the Premier League, finishing fourth, third and fourth in successive seasons.

He also guided O'Leary's side to the UEFA Cup and Champions League semi-finals, cementing his legendary status to fans by turning down a big move to Manchester United.

Pontus Jansson (CB)

Something of a controversial figure during his time at Elland Road, Jansson became a mainstay in Bielsa's backline in his first season in charge and was named in the Championship Team of the Year for the second time. 

Although his knack of getting caught up in disciplinary trouble was mightily frustrating for the Leeds faithful, there's no doubting that Jansson was Leeds' best centre-half of the 2010s despite being at the club for just three years.

His absence in the play-off semi-final against Derby was felt at the end of last season as Leeds were beaten 4-3 on aggregate, but Ben White has stepped in brilliantly to fill the Swede's void as he made the switch to Brentford at the start of the season.

Ian Harte (LB)

Harte impressively scored 39 goals from 288 appearances as a full-back for the club, spending five of his first six years at the club in the top five.

Harte's dynamism, two-footedness and ability from a dead ball meant he was one of the division's best attack-minded full-back's during his pomp - making the PFA Team of the Year in 1999/00 as Leeds put up a relatively stiff title challenge before fading late on in the campaign.

The Irishman remained with the club during the tumultuous seasons that followed despite many of his teammates jumping ship. Harte continued to be a significant player right up until Leeds' relegation in 2004 before deciding to move on to... Levante?

Pablo Hernandez (RM)

While we're throwing it back to his Valencia and Swansea days with his right midfield position, Spaniard Hernandez just has to be in this side.

Since his initial loan deal from the Swans in 2016, Hernandez has gone on to make 69 goal contributions in 150 games for Leeds, proving himself to be one of the most creative players in the second tier and a pivotal part of Bielsa's side in a more central, playmaking role. 

His stellar performances following his arrival at Elland Road has seen him named the club's Player of the Year on two occasions, while he also made the PFA Team of the Year last term.

Oliver Dacourt (CM)

A fan-favourite at Elland Road throughout his three years at the club, Frenchman Dacourt thrived under O'Leary's tutelage before dropping down the pecking order when Terry Venables succeeded the Irishman in 2002.

Nevertheless, Dacourt played a key role in central midfield alongside David Batty, with his tenacity and aggressive nature fitting into O'Leary's intense pressing system perfectly.

Dacourt's impressive displays as Leeds reached the semi-finals in the Champions League in 2001 saw him become a regular for the French national side ahead of the 2002 World Cup.

Gary Speed (CM)

A beneficiary of Wilkinson's trust in youth, Speed made his Leeds debut aged just 19 in 1988 while they were slogging it out in the Second Division.

The versatile Welshman became a leading figure in the United dressing room, playing a key role in their title success in 1992 before finding himself in the PFA Team of the Year a season later despite Leeds' struggles - finishing 17th in one of the worst title defences in history as they struggled to adapt to the new back-pass rule.

He racked up 248 league appearances in a Whites shirt - scoring 39 times - before moving to his boyhood club, Everton, in 1996.

Harry Kewell (LM)

Forget how he eventually departed the club in 2003 - Kewell was sublime during his seven-year spell at Elland Road, forming one half of the Aussie connection with striker Mark Viduka, who's unfortunate not to make this side.

At his imperious best, Kewell was able to make 37 goal contributions in a single campaign while he finished his Leeds career with 63 goals and 57 assists overall.

The Aussie's PFA Young Player of the Year form in 1999/00 drew the interest of Italian giants Inter, but their £25m bid was rejected by the club before their financial difficulties forced them to accept a £9m bid from Liverpool just two years later. 

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (ST)

Hasselbaink joined Leeds' talented core of youngsters in 1997 from Portuguese minnows Boavista before going on to establish himself as one of the Premier League's most prolific goalscorers.

Following a difficult acclimatisation period under George Graham in his debut season, the Dutchman thrived under the more progressive O'Leary a season later - joint-winning the Golden Boot alongside Michael Owen and Dwight Yorke with 18 goals.

Hasselbaink would eventually move on to Atlético in 1999 after a contract dispute with the club, but he proved key in laying the foundations for a brief but successful period for Leeds after a spell of obscurity following their title victory in '92.

Tony Yeboah (ST)

"Yeboah... on he goes, AHH... even by his standards, breathtakingly brilliant."

That was Martin Tyler's description of the Ghanaian's iconic long-range strike against Wimbledon in 1995, a sort of thunder-bastard Yeboah became synonymous with during his two-year stint at Elland Road. 

While he was almost hounded out the door by Graham in 1998, you just can't leave the 'Goal of the Month' merchant out of this side. 

A cult hero.