Nightmare Leeds United start was a warning of what was to come for Cellino special: View | OneFootball

Giuseppe Bellusci's Leeds United debut was rather memorable, but for all the wrong reasons.

A player's first appearance for any club is crucial in making a first impression on the manager, supporters and everyone involved, but with thousands of passionate Leeds fans keeping a close eye on you, it is of paramount importance that you deliver.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for Italian defender, Bellusci, who made his debut in 2014 away to Watford in the Championship. It was an absolute disaster from Bellusci's perspective, and unfortunately, it failed to get a whole lot better than that for the remainder of his spell with the club.

Former Leeds owner, Massimo Cellino, oversaw a rather chaotic period at the club to say the least, between 2014 and 2017, and the signing of Bellusci appeared to be a worrying one right from the off.

The defender joined the club in August 2014 after spending five years with Catania in Italy. His debut was highly anticipated, but unfortunately he hugely failed to live up to the hype.

Bellusci's Leeds United debut

Bellusci initially arrived at Elland Road on loan, on the 12th August 2014, but just nine days later, on the 21st, the deal was made permanent with the Italian signing a four-year contract. Leeds head coach at the time, David Hockaday, was full of praise in an interview on the club's website: "Giuseppe has come into the club and has made an instant impact with the rest of the squad.

"He is a strong personality with leadership skills. As well as that he is great at organising and brings added quality into our defence.

"He is an experienced footballer and we are hopeful he can bring all his qualities to the squad."

Bellusci's debut came just two days after he signed a permanent contract, but it was an afternoon to forget for several reasons. Hockaday's Leeds travelled to Vicarage Road for a clash with Watford, following a disappointing start to the 2014/15 campaign.

The sides were level at 1-1 shortly before the hour mark, when Bellusci committed a foul inside the area, which resulted in a penalty to the Hornets and a red card for the Italian just 57 minutes into his debut. Watford went on to win the game 4-1. It was not the only red card of the game as Leeds' Sam Byram saw red in injury time to reduce the side to nine men.

The two red cards capped off a horrid afternoon for Leeds as Bellusci failed to make a good account of himself on his debut. Sadly, he struggled to redeem himself over the next couple of seasons.

The remainder of Bellusci's Leeds spell

As mentioned, Massimo Cellino's tenure as Chairman was hectic and saw very little success, and Bellusci unfortunately played a big part in that.

The Italian defender would spend the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons in and out of the starting line up as Leeds recorded disappointing 15th place and 13th place finishes in the Championship. He was never far away from controversy with claims of racism, a 'Sicknote Six' incident, calamitous displays and clashes with fans (see related article below).

Bellusci scored two goals in his first season, but never really became a reliable asset in the team. He received two red cards and three yellow card suspensions in his brief two-year spell, further highlighting his unreliable nature.

Towards the end of the 2015/16 season he was dropped by manager, Steve Evans, after making several mistakes, and ahead of the following campaign he was sent out on loan to Italy.

Upon his return to Elland Road, he became quite unpopular among the Leeds faithful in pre-season and eventually departed the club in July 2017, shortly after the departure of Cellino.

Bellusci failed to hit it off with the Leeds supporters throughout his spell, and a red card on his debut acted almost as a warning of what was to come.