8 Childhood Newcastle United Fans Who (Eventually) Signed As Players
Sometimes, fulfilling those boyhood ambitions just takes a little time...
Newcastle United history is littered with players who unashamedly loved the club. Some went on to become Magpies legends (Jackie Milburn, Paul Gascoigne), while others most certainly did not (Peter Ramage, Steven Taylor, and many more). Either way, they all got to fulfil their childhood dream of donning the famous black and white stripes, with many coming through the club's youth system.
While some footballers understandably prioritise gold and glory above all else, others just want to don their favourite team's colours, and while most of Newcastle's examples came through the academy, others took a longer route. Whether native to the North East or otherwise, they all honed their craft elsewhere before making the switch to St. James' Park, with some becoming legends.
NUFC have no obligation to help players fulfil these lifelong ambitions, but it always makes for a good story, particularly when the fans are as fond of them as they are of the club. Some were born on foreign shores, while others are Geordies through and through: whatever the case, these men all achieved the goal of playing for their beloved Magpies, with varying degrees of success...
8. Michael Bridges
Born in North Shields, Michael Bridges grew up as a Newcastle fan and, like Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley before him, started his footballing education with Wallsend Boys Club. He chose to sign for Sunderland in 1994, and emerged as a promising Premier League striker during the late 1990s, scoring a £5 million transfer to Leeds United at the end of the century.
Bridges was an instant hit at Elland Road, scoring 19 goals in his first season with the club, but injuries soon killed his career. He was restricted to just 10 appearances over the next four seasons, and joined NUFC on loan in January 2004, having not scored a Premier League goal in over three years.
He'd signed for his boyhood club, but Bridges was already a spent force. He failed to score in any of his six Newcastle appearances and joined Bolton the following season, before tumbling down the league pyramid, and eventually settling in Australia. Once earmarked as a future England international, Bridges' chronic fitness problems persisted until his retirement in 2016, and ultimately cost him what should've been a top tier football career.