Tino Asprilla was one of those vivacious, energetic types who managed to harbour goodwill and enthusiasm wherever he went. At Parma, the Columbian back-flipper was considered one of the clubs best players during a 90s period, whereby they reached a final of three European competitions and the Coppa Italia. Adored and revered by the Parma faithful for his energy, vibrancy and skilfulness, it came as a shock when he suddenly found himself in the Premier League, but such was his penchant for attacking football, was it really any surprise who bought him? Arriving at St. James Park dressed in a flamboyant fur coat to finalise his £6.7 million move in February 1996, the South American maverick truly was the original Mario Balotelli. Similar to the Italians time in Manchester, Asprilla left the Tyneside faithful with plenty of fond memories - who could possibly forget that blistering hat-trick against the Catalans? - but his stay was mostly littered with inconsistency and off-field misdemeanours, with the Columbian used as a scapegoat for the reason the club never capitalised on their healthy lead at the summit of the table during the 95/96 campaign. The playboys time on Tyneside was finally cut shut in January 1998 when boss Kenny Dalglish shipped him back to Parma for £6 million, with the forward having registered a modest nine goals in 48 league appearances.
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.
