2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season
| 2002–03 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman |
 Peter Ridsdale(until 31 March) Professor John McKenzie
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| Manager |
 David O'Leary(until 27 June) Terry Venables(until 21 March) Peter Reid
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| Stadium | Elland Road | ||
| Premier League | 15th | ||
| FA Cup | Sixth round | ||
| League Cup | Third round | ||
| UEFA Cup | Third round | ||
| Top goalscorer |
League:  Mark Viduka (20)All: Mark Viduka (22)
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| Highest home attendance | 40,205 vs Aston Villa (11 May 2003, Premier League) |
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| Lowest home attendance | 29,359 vs Gillingham (4 Feb 2003, FA Cup) |
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| Average home league attendance | 37,768 | ||
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The 2002–03 season saw Leeds United compete in the Premier League (known as the Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).
As Leeds United's debts began racking up, the club began selling many first-team players to raise money, most notably defender and captain Rio Ferdinand, sold to arch-rivals Manchester United for around 30 million pounds - a world record for a defender at the time. Despite this mass exodus of players (which forced many youth players like James Milner and Matthew Kilgallon into the first team) Leeds managed to remain in the Premiership after finishing a safe 15th place, with no small thanks to striker Mark Viduka. Viduka struck 20 goals in the Premiership alone, making him the fourth highest scorer in the league that season. Harry Kewell was also influential, scoring 14 on his own and setting up several of Viduka's strikes, before departing to Liverpool in the summer.
Nike remained as Leeds United's kit sponsors, and introduced a new home kit for the season.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Last updated: 30 May 2003
Source: Competitions
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