Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe's tears, a legend's command for title heroes and young star kept in check at awards bash — YEP 5/5/25

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United celebrated promotion and the Championship title at their end-of-season awards night on Sunday.

Amid the accolades and the awards being showed upon Leeds United after their Championship title success were words that should resonate deeply because of their source.

The squad, manager Daniel Farke, his staff, club officials, sponsors and supporters gathered at Elland Road on Sunday night for the annual awards do. It was described, fittingly, as 'a bit more Premier League' than last year's edition and the way the season finished on Saturday doubtless helped create a better atmosphere. In 2024 timing killed the chance to turn the awards into any kind of celebration, given there were three games left to play. Those games led to a play-off finish and a Wembley final that killed any chance of the summer turning into a celebration.

This time was plainly very different. Leeds went up as champions, securing the title on the very last day with a last-minute goal from Manor Solomon. So when Ethan Ampadu, Farke and the players emerged from behind the stage to file to their tables either side of the Championship trophy, it was to a hero's welcome.

The outbreaks of partying since promotion was first achieved had perhaps dulled the desire to go at it hammer and tongs at the club's black-tie awards do but the emotions were still running high. Club chairman Paraag Marathe got on the mic to reveal his response to Leeds confirming a Premier League return was to go outside his office and burst into tears.

The emotional tone of the evening went up and down all night, a bit like the 2024/25 season that was captured in a stirring video montage and shown on big screens as the main characters watched on.

Marathe’s tears, Bamford’s FA warning and the latest Gray starlet

There was levity in Marathe's quip about departing CEO Angus Kinnear's key card being deactivated as of Monday morning, the signed framed shirts that Kinnear was pressured into committing to the walls of his new office at Everton Stadium, Patrick Bamford's wry admission that he'd had to turn his back to certain musical elements of the celebrating after an FA warning and Eddie Gray's cheerful reminder that great nephew Harry 'hasn't done much yet.' "He's got a younger brother too you know, so let's see what happens," added the legend.

But his praise for an 'unbelievable' season put together by the team and the manager, added to Paul Reaney's glowing tribute, should have landed heavily with the champions because these are men whose words matter most. Men whose achievements and contribution to Leeds United history carry more weight than any others. They were not just top flight footballers, they were the best footballers in the top flight and in Europe. Champions at the very highest level. Not just heroes, legends. Jayden Bogle, in particular, should have noted down every single word of Reaney's gushing assessment of his season at right-back. "Bloody hell, our right-back is scoring more goals than I could dream of and he's not a bad looking guy," quipped the 80-year-old. "My job was to lay it off, defend and maybe kick a few." And Farke too was given his credit by the Revie Boy, just hours after Marathe went on record to confirm the German's immediate future continues to lie at Elland Road.

Reaney brought the house down with his speech, which was in response to a Lifetime Achievement award. He ended it with an instruction for the men hoping to follow in his footsteps, to fear no one. To believe that anything is possible next season.

Dan James, Willy Gnonto and Ao Tanaka and Amy Woodruff claim end-of-season awards

Daniel James danced away with the Player of the Season award, peer pressured into cavorting about the stage to Greek music as he had in the dressing room at Plymouth on Saturday. Hamstring injury be damned. The transformation of his fortunes and status at Leeds can be summed up in the fact that he now has not one but two songs, the second of which, to the tune of Dancing in the Dark, has caught on like wildfire. "It took three or four years to get that song," he said. "Whoever made it, thank you."

James held up Pascal Struijk's goals against Sunderland as a highlight and an example of why Leeds ended up with a trophy. "We've got an unbelievable team," he said. "The resilience to go through games, we always end up getting something."

The Young Player of the Season prize was announced by Josuha Guilavogui, who declared himself the winner and then presented it to Willy Gnonto. Still only 21, the experienced youngster called these the 'best days' of his time at Leeds United after some difficult ones and hoped for more to come. Guilavogui also took the chance to thank Farke for the 'gift' of being at Leeds and insisted that of the trophies he has lifted in his long career this one ranks as the most special.

Goal of the Season went to Ao Tanaka. The introvert visibly shies away from microphones, attention and limelight but his matter-of-fact description of his screamer at Hull City lit up the Centenary Pavilion. "In the first half we were so bad. At half-time the boss said I had to score. So..." The last words of his sentence were drowned out by laughter and cheers. His team-mates' faces lit up again when he accepted the Players' Player of the Season award and dedicated it to them for their help after a difficult period of adjustment to life and football in England.

Goalscorer Amy Woodruff was crowned Women's Player of the Year and Bridie Hannon was given an ovation and a framed shirt to mark her retirement as a player.

And the role played at Leeds United this season by the fans was given its fair due, particularly in Ethan Ampadu's address. The skipper pointed out that characters dressed in banana outfits jumping into canals is not the norm in football, nor is the passion with which the Leeds fanbase live out the words 'everywhere, we're all gonna be there,' from their anthem Marching on Together, which will once again grace the biggest stadiums in the country next season when Leeds United take their place in the Premier League.