Eight-and-a-half years on from putting pen to paper at Elland Road as an 18-year-old taking his first steps in the senior game, Pascal Struijk departs Leeds United having racked up nearly 200 appearances for the Whites, two Sky Bet Championship winners’ medals and countless hours engaging with supporters in the community.

Excelling for the Under-23s, the powerful central defender made his first-team debut in a December 2019 home victory over Hull City and would feature four more times that term as Marcelo Bielsa’s team ended a 16-year exile from the Premier League.

An impressive cameo from the bench in the penultimate home fixture saw Pascal demonstrate his qualities, providing a huge defensive effort for an under-the-cosh Whites outfit to earn a crucial 1-0 win over Barnsley. With promotion confirmed, he then showed his versatility from the off in the final two EFL fixtures in a combative midfield role.

Pascal took to the top-flight with ease, starting on the opening day encounter with reigning champions Liverpool at Anfield and that form was rewarded with a contract extension, something he was thrilled about when he caught up with LUTV at the time.

“I feel super happy. It is always nice to be offered a new deal. It shows me confidence that the club believes in me and I am very happy. I hope to achieve a lot more and grow as a player myself. It was a big jump for me when I left Ajax and ever since it has been really good. Playing in the Premier League and seeing the level you are playing against has always been a dream and I am currently living the dream.”

Struijk made 22 starts that campaign as United excelled to a ninth-place finish in the standings, though in the following term, form and consistency was hard to come by and the Whites escaped the drop on the final day with a dramatic victory over Brentford. That iconic afternoon in West London came a week after another memorable and important result, this time against Brighton & Hove Albion in West Yorkshire which had kept survival hopes alive.

Inside a crowded penalty area, Joe Gelhardt produced a sublime piece of skill to evade a challenge and hooked a looping delivery towards the back post where Struijk was arriving, powering a header into the back of the net with an effort he described afterwards as “the most important goal” he had ever scored.

“I am really happy to get the point at the end,” he laughed. “It is really important for us to take all the points we can. I was just told go on and play my game, do what I have got to do, and of course in the back of your head, scoring is one thing you will always try to do.

“Of course, it was frustrating because second half as well we created a lot of chances. So, we were unlucky not to get a goal earlier and then we were in a race to get one back at the end. Luckily, we did! We never stop believing. I certainly think the fans also don’t.”

Over the course of the next two terms, Pascal made 56 further appearances for United, notably skippering the club for the very first time in the league in the 2023/24 campaign in a Championship meeting with Bristol City at Elland Road. At the end of that season, he was appointed as vice-captain and led be example in a role he was extremely proud to hold.

In the Whites’ second Sky Bet Championship title winning season Pascal was involved in, the versatile defender featured 35 times in the league and scored five goals to help guide Leeds to the trophy. Two of those came on a cold February evening at Elland Road as United entertained promotion rivals Sunderland under the lights.

A goal down late in the second half, manager Daniel Farke turned to his bench and replaced midfielder Ao Tanaka with the central defender. Over the course of the closing stages, Struijk saw his moment in the spotlight and took it. Not just once but twice.

With little over 10 minutes of normal time remaining, fellow substitute Joe Rothwell whipped a dangerous set piece into the path of the flying Dutchman who glanced home an equaliser. Then, with the game looking destined to end all square as the clock ticked over the 95-minute mark, the duo combined once more.

On the right flank, Rothwell chopped inside and picked out the run of Pascal perfectly. He did the rest and Elland Road erupted. There has been many a memorable evening under the lights in West Yorkshire and that Struijk-inspired victory firmly sits within those. The crucial three points took United back to the summit of the Sky Bet Championship and speaking after the full-time whistle, boss Farke couldn’t hide his delight with his defender’s impact from the dugout.

“These nights are the best ones. So, 7-0 and 4-0, everything is great and you cruise along easily anyhow. This type of win, when you play a tight game, you have to fight, you have to dig in and score out of a set piece to come back into the game. Then with the last second of the game to win these priceless three points and a very, very important win for us, we believed until the last second. We did this in an excellent fashion.

“It was such a difficult decision because normally you would bring offensive players in today. I took two midfielders out and brought a centre-back and a midfield player in because the feeling was we were creating set piece after set piece. In the end, all the credit and all the compliments go to the lads because you can have an idea as a manager and try to do something special, but it just pays off when the execution is excellent. And for that, all the praise goes to Pascal.”

After collecting a second Championship winners’ medal, with Pascal proudly sporting his collection on the top of our open top bus parade, attentions quickly turned to a return to the Premier League. With 85 appearances in the top-flight already to his name as a youngster, the defender would go on and add 34 further games to that tally, including the opening away encounter which he led the team out as skipper.

Excelling either in a back four or as part of a three, the 26-year-old helped the team to an impressive 14th-place finish, amassing 47 points and also reaching the semi-finals of the Emirates FA Cup. In the last eight of the prestigious competition, an enthralling encounter in the capital ended all square with West Ham United.

And so the tie went to penalties where after heroics from Lucas Perri, the responsibility came down to Struijk from 12 yards. Sending the Hammers’ keeper the wrong way, the centre-back whipped a powerful effort to his right. Hearts were in mouths as the ball rattled the post but as it nestled in the back of the net, the Whites knew they were Wembley bound.

“I said before the game it will be a massive, massive win if we won today,” he said at the time. “To come down to penalties all the way after a big shift and they did well to come back but very happy for us, very happy for the fans. We were well drilled and from the beginning we knew what to do. I think the team showed real composure, especially in the moments where it was tough and they put the pressure on but I think we were really good.”

Pascal now leaves Elland Road to explore a new challenge with the best wishes of everyone at Leeds United. Having joined as a fledgling 18-year-old finding his feet in the professional game, Struijk departs having represented the Whites 196 times, winning two Sky Bet Championship titles and representing himself, the club and the wider Leeds community with the utmost professionalism and pride.