Walsall FC hit the jackpot with £150k transfer - He scored over 50 goals and won't be forgotten | OneFootball

Jorge Leitao has gone down in Saddlers folklore for his contributions

Despite not reaching such heights in the past 20 years, Walsall fans continue to reminisce about the club's relatively successful spell at the turn of the Millennium, in which the Saddlers enjoyed two promotions and four seasons in what is now the Championship, before being relegated in 2004.

Those at the Poundland Bescot Stadium saw a plethora of exciting transfers made, which included the likes of former England ace Paul Merson, who went on to become player-manager, as well as cult hero Darren Byfield and current Sky Sports pundit, Don Goodman.

Whilst all the aforementioned trio are well associated with the West Midlands outfit for their respective contributions, none will go down in folklore in this part of the Black Country as much as Portuguese striker, Jorge Leitao, who arrived as an unknown and left as a club icon after a five-and-a-half year stint.

The forward moved to WS1 in August 2000, as Ray Graydon looked to immediately restore the club's status in the second tier after being relegated after just one season in 1999/00.

The Reds boss invested £150,000 in Leitao's services after a successful spell with Feirense in his home country, with the new signing later admitting it was the first time the club, or town, had appeared on his radar.

"To be honest, I'd never heard about Walsall before I came," he told the Express and Star in 2021. "Even when I got to the airport, I didn't know where I was going to.

"My agent just picked me up and told me we were going to a town called Walsall, near Birmingham. I said 'alright then'.

"That was the first time I'd heard about Walsall, but I wouldn't regret it, not for a second," Leitao stated.

Jorge Leitao went on to become a Walsall FC legend after lengthy stint

The aforementioned comments come as little surprise to anyone associated with the Saddlers, as Leitao is up there with one of the greatest players in the club's history for his contributions, which initially aided a first-time promotion during his first season.

It took the striker just three games to get off and running in front of goal in a 4-1 victory over Swindon Town, before scoring his first goal at the Bescot in a dramatic 3-2 success over Oxford United.

He would score 18 times in the league and 21 times in all competitions as Graydon's men defeated Reading 3-2 in Cardiff in a dramatic play-off final success, before eventually finding his feet in the second tier after the man who brought him to the Midlands was sacked in January 2002.

After netting the club's first goal of the season in a 2-1 win over West Brom on the opening day, Leitao went on to score nine more times in all competitions, which included a brace in a famous FA Cup success away at then-Premier League outfit, Charlton Athletic, as well as netting the crucial goal which kept the Saddlers in the division with a 1-0 win at Sheffield United.

The following season saw Leitao and Brazilian strike partner, Jose Junior, both hitting double figures with a collective league total of 26 goals, almost half of the Reds' overall tally of 57, as they stayed up by eight points, finishing 17th, before Junior departed for Derby County.

Walsall couldn't preserve their status in the division under Lee or Merson, with Leitao scoring seven times in 39 league appearances, before netting a further eight during his last full season with the club, as they ended the 2004/05 season 14th in League One.

After scoring six times in his final 25 appearances, it was announced in December 2005 that the striker would return to Portugal in January 2006 after an admission of homesickness, joining Beira Mar.