Leeds United centre-back Joe Rodon has been a crucial part of the defence under Daniel Farke since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur.
Joe Rodon joined Leeds at the start of the 2023/24 season and has been a mainstay in their defence ever since, making his move permanent at the end of his first year with the club.
Rodon was one of the bright spots in Wales’ recent defeat against England, and Daniel Farke will be hoping that he comes through their second game of the international break unscathed.
The Welshman’s form has been so impressive that Slovenian international Jaka Bijol and fellow summer signing Sebastiaan Bornauw have both been unable to force their way into the Leeds starting line-up in the Premier League this season.
Now, Rodon stands on the verge of setting a new record for Leeds, as he closes in on a mark set by Mateusz Klich during Leeds’ last promotion campaign.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesJoe Rodon closing in on Mateusz Klich record for Leeds United
According to a post from LUFCData on the social media site X (formerly Twitter), by starting Leeds’ defeat against Tottenham, Rodon made his 90th consecutive league appearance under Farke.
If he comes through Wales’ game against Belgium unscathed and starts the game against Burnley, Rodon will move to within one of the incredible run of league appearances set by Klich.
Having looked set to leave Leeds before the start of the 2018/19 season, Klich made a scarcely believable 92 consecutive league appearances under Marcelo Bielsa.
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Most consecutive league appearances for Leeds United
- Mateusz Klich – 92
- Joe Rodon – 90*
- Gordon Strachan – 81
That run only came to an end when Klich sat out Leeds’ trip to Derby County at the end of the 2020 season, after Leeds had already clinched the league title.
According to a report in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Klich passed the previous record set by Leeds legend Gordon Strachan, who made 81 consecutive appearances during his time with the club.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty ImagesWho has the most consecutive appearances for Leeds?
Although Rodon, Klich and Strachan’s respective runs of consecutive games are hugely impressive, they fall some way short of the longest run of consecutive games for the club.
According to an article on the Leeds United website, that record is held by title-winning Leeds goalkeeper John Lukic, who was a mainstay of the side under former boss Howard Wilkinson.
However, Lukic set his record in his first spell with Leeds United, having made his debut for the club in 1979.
Lukic’s debut was the first game of 146 consecutive appearances, which was only broken when Lukic requested a transfer and joined Arsenal in 1983.