10 Surprising Revelations About Newcastle Players You'd Never Believe

7. Tino Had Drank Wine Before His Explosive Debut

It's not as if former Columbian fan favourite Tino Asprilla had downed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc twenty minutes before kick-off, but it is true that the former Parma striker was not expecting to feature at Middlesbrough having signed for the club hours earlier and so decided to indulge in a pre-match glass or two.

''On Friday, I got the papers so I could play in England, but I was still just going to watch. On Saturday, they took me to lunch in the club hotel, and I ordered wine because in Italy that's what we had. I wasn't allowed to drink Coke in Italy - they'd fine me! So I drink wine, but I never liked it so I mixed it with water. Then Keegan said 'get changed just in case', then 'warm up', then 'you're on!'. I wasn't nervous but I wasn't even prepared! Luckily it all went very well." - Faustino Asprilla, February 2008.

Having been thrust into action with the Magpies trailing by a goal, the mercurial Columbian turned the game on its' head by laying on the assist for Steve Watson to equalise before Les Ferdinand struck the winner to send the travelling Geordies into raptures. One would wonder what he was drinking before Barcelona visited in 1997.