Leeds' All Time Greats: No 16 Alan Smith

"He was mean and I don't like players like that," Frank de Boer said after Leeds had been humbled by Barcelona in 2000. He didn't, but Leeds fans did. With Aled Jones looks and Vinnie Jones savagery, Smith was a local hero from the moment he scored at Liverpool with his first touch for the club when 18. He showed moments of real class, notably in Europe, where he scored four in Florence and humbled Anderlecht.

Opponents hated him. Five minutes after his introduction into a game at Arsenal in 1998, he was head-butted by Gilles Grimandi, and he allegedly riled Tony Adams, a recovering alcoholic, by asking if he fancied a post-match pint. But pious journalists lamenting his late sending-off as Leeds crashed out of the Champions League semi-final against Valencia just did not understand the emotion of losing. It was the best foul ever.

He blotted his copybook by moving to Manchester United and saying they weren't rivals because they weren't in the same division. This was some months after he had pledged his future to Leeds even if they were relegated.

Despite several managers' selectional whims, he was also a useless midfielder. "I'm a better player than Viduka and Bridges put together," he told David O'Leary. He wasn't, but he was the best-loved player since David Batty.