Another birthday for one of our cult heroes today. PJ joined us on loan from Torino in August 2016, making his move permanent for £3. million in early 2017. Famous for the “Pontus Jansson’s Magic Hat” chant. A rather heavy parcel once arrived at Thorp Arch for him and at his request I opened it, (believe it or not) it was a “Leeds United House Brick” ‘, sent in by a fan and of which he kept on his locker top until the day he left the club. He was often seen as the heart of the defence, once famously being the only player to try and stop (his warrior instinct) an unchallenged goal against Aston Villa after Marcelo Bielsa ordered his team to let them score. Pontus unexpectedly left us in July 2019 to join Championship rivals Brentford (where he became the club captain) for an undisclosed fee (reported around £5.5m). He finally return to his boyhood club, Malmö FF, on a free transfer in 2023, where he remains under contract until December 2027. He recently attended a home fixture at Elland Road and it was a pleasure to meet up with him again. Happy birthday pal.
