10 Former Newcastle Players Who Criticised The Club
10. Albert Luque
Former Newcastle flop Albert Luque probably shouldnt take up a job as a travel agent, if his quotes regarding his stay in England are anything to go by. Having failed dramatically at St. James Park following a £9.5 million move Deportivo la Coruna in 2005, Luque has certainly not hid his contempt for the English game.
''I am very happy to have swapped Newcastle for Ajax. I dont have happy memories of my time in the Premier League. English football is totally physical and every match is a battle. I refuse to play for any English team in the future. I decided one fine day to try my luck over there. But I will not go back. - Albert Luque, February 2008.
The retired footballer spoke again this summer, offering advice to new Toon recruit Ayoze Perez - or rather, a warning.
''The two years I spent there were the two worst on a personal level. Newcastle is a great club but if I could go back it is an experience that I would not repeat. The step that Ayoze has taken shows tremendous courage on his part, but its going to be a challenging move. It is a football team that plays a very English style, they are very direct and when you go there they give you respect but they prefer players who come from their own area. - Albert Luque, May 2014.
Anyone else youd like to blame for your own shortcomings, Albert? Perhaps the milkmans tardiness in the mornings?
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
