Leeds, whose only FA Cup triumph was in 1972, are bidding to reach the final for the first time in 53 years and their captain Ampadu wants to help create another piece of history for the club.

He played key roles for Wales at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, but at club level it has been a tough, winding path since joining Chelsea from Exeter aged 16 in 2017.

Ampadu had featured in three FA Cup rounds for Chelsea when they beat Manchester United to lift the trophy in 2018, but was not included in Antonio Conte’s matchday squad for the final and was an unused substitute when the Blues beat Arsenal 4-1 in Baku to win the Europa League in 2019.

After loan spells at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia, he became Daniel Farke’s first signing at Leeds, who paid £7million for the midfielder during their rebuild following Premier League relegation in 2023.

The Wales skipper, who finally found his ‘home’ at Elland Road, said: “You have to become resilient, remember what you are doing it for and to create those good moments.

“For me, they haven’t come around too often. We’ve been enjoying some here, but what I love about this place is we are striving to achieve a lot more.

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“So hopefully this could be the start for something special, but it’s taken a lot to get there.”

Leeds have spent 22 seasons in total outside the top flight since they last featured in an FA Cup final under Don Revie when they lost to Sunderland in 1973.

Their last trip to Wembley ended in defeat to Southampton in the 2024 Championship play-off final and Ampadu says it is time to deliver for the fans.

“It’s massive. We are in this to make memories, to have those moments with the fans,” he said. “As many as we can create and enjoy with the fans. That’s going to be very special for this club.

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“So it’s going to be a big day. But we don’t just want to be there for a big day. We are going there with an aim.

“We know it’s going to be a difficult game, but we know what we can bring to this game, the confidence we have in this squad and our ability to get to that final.”

Confidence is soaring at Elland Road and the resilience Farke’s players have shown throughout their first season back in the top flight was on full display during Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at high-flying Bournemouth.

Sean Longstaff’s stoppage-time equaliser lifted Leeds nine points clear of the relegation zone and followed wins at Manchester United – their first league success in over four decades at Old Trafford – and Wolves in their previous two matches.

Leeds beat Chelsea 3-1 at Elland Road in December and fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge in February and while they sacked head coach Liam Rosenior on Wednesday, Ampadu is taking nothing for granted.

“It’s a different game, different occasion, but we have to take confidence in what we do,” he added. “We will be prepared for the best Chelsea we are going to get and we will try to be the best Leeds United.

“At the start of the season we had confidence and targets we wanted to achieve and we have a few more games left to make it one to remember.”