Former Leeds United defender Gaetano Berardi has chosen to call time on his playing days at the age of 34. Berardi enjoyed a career that spanned 17 seasons as a player, taking in stints in Italy and England before rounding off his career in his native Switzerland.
Seven of those seasons were spent with Leeds United, where he made 157 appearances in all competitions before eventually being released by the club at the end of the 2020-21 Premier League season. He was a crowd favourite at Elland Road, winning admiration for his attitude and desire on the field and supporters can still be heard singing his name, two years on from his departure.
Berardi joined Leeds in 2014 under then head coach David Hockaday and made headlines after being sent off on his debut. He recovered from that initial setback well, though, and played a key role for the club for several years, under a host of managers.
