Former Leeds sporting director Victor Orta exclusively reveals how he fell back in love with football following his departure from Elland Road
He admits there were tears when he left Elland Road after six years – “I cried a lot” – but he has drawn fresh enthusiasm from his return to the club where he built his reputation during seven years as technical secretary from 2006.
“In the office in Elland Road we had a carpet and the person who kicked the football closest to the middle won a voucher to go to a restaurant in Leeds. It was only 30 minutes but you had all the people from the different departments interacting – marketing, scouting, club secretary, director, media people.”
“It’s trying to buy cheap and sell expensive – trying to discover talent before it gets to a top level. This legacy of seven Europa Leagues grew from selling players. The first was Jose Antonio Reyes to Arsenal and after that Dani Alves and all the rest. It was the moment that the team started to win trophies.
“We look so special in the Europa League and so weak in the Champions League. It’s really incredible the difference. Why don’t we try to create this special feeling in the Champions League? That’s a bit of an obsession for me and one of the reasons why it’s really important to get points against Arsenal.
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