Ethan Ampadu's classy pre-promotion gesture at Leeds United revealed - fans will love this | OneFootball

The captain played a huge role in driving his teammates towards promotion.

Ethan Ampadu's crucial behind-the-scenes role in Leeds United's promotion-winning season has been revealed, including a key decision made by the captain on the club's bonus system for this season.

Sheffield United's failure to beat Burnley on Easter Monday was the match that sparked the proverbial fireworks for Leeds' promotion celebrations.

After so narrowly missing out on an immediate return to the Premier League last season, both via the automatic spots and the play-offs, the intent to go again this season was made clear by Daniel Farke immediately following the loss at Wembley to Southampton.

A lot of players were emotional after that final whistle. They'd amassed 90 points - a total that would easily get a team into the Championship's top two in nearly every season - and still managed to fall short of the mark. Ampadu was one of the players who most visibly bore the brunt of the defeat.

But he was empowered by Farke's decision to give the captain's armband to him in the summer and, as has now been revealed, he played a pivotal role off the pitch in getting Leeds to where they are now.

Ethan Ampadu's inspirational actions as Leeds captain

Everything that the Welsh international did this season was about driving the team towards promotion as a whole unit. The Athletic have stated that he told players, following the play-off final loss, to remember the pain that it caused them and to use that as fuel for the 2024/25 campaign.

Before the start of this season, Ampadu was summoned to Thorp Arch to help Leeds' hierarchy decide on how the bonus pot was going to be used for this season. Usually this would involve the captain and some other senior figures in the dressing room, but on this occasion the skipper showed up on his own, as per The Athletic.

He then made a crucial decision, one of his many actions that brought the squad closer together. The 24-year-old concluded that the promotion-bonus pot should be split equally between all players, regardless of the usual deciding factors like number of appearances.

His mindset that every player involved in the typical matchday squad, no matter if they were the main man or if they just travelled with the squad, was as important as anyone else.

This move garnered great favour for Amapdu in the dressing room, according to The Athletic. He also, alongside fellow countryman Joe Rodon, reportedly made a real conscious effort to nurture youngsters like James Debayo and Charlie Crew, who will end up with the same bonus as their more senior mentors as a result of Ampadu's actions.

Ethan Ampadu is the perfect example of a modern captain

The midfielder/defender was forced to have a big off-pitch impact this season due to his injury issues. He picked up a knock on one of his knees in September which kept him out for just over two months. He then hurt his other knee in mid-February.

Even though he wasn't always able to lead by example with his football, Ampadu's mind was always focused on making sure the group were tightly bound together. The team's inner relationships became so good, in fact, that The Athletic's sources stated that it was considered strange if someone came into the team and didn't gel quickly.

He's not a leader that governs through shouting and fear. Sure, he has pushed his teammates to new heights over the past nine months, but he has done it in a calm, quieter manner.

Above all else is that determination to win, which was best summed up by a conversation he reportedly had with someone close to him, as per The Athletic, in which they suggested that just finishing in the top two would be enough. Ampadu clapped back and stated that he was going for the Championship title, not just promotion. That is the sort of leader any team wants.