10 Ultimate Cult Heroes Of Newcastle United In The Premier League Era

5. Nikos Dabizas

Played for NUFC: 1998 - 2004

Appearances: 175, Goals: 14

Never a Tyne-Wear derby fixture will pass without the pre-match build-up including an image of a crazed and topless Dabizas celebrating his winning goal in front of a frenzied gathering of Geordies at the Stadium of Light in February 2002. A moment that cemented him as one of our chief cult heroes.

It was Kenny Dalglish who brought Dabizas to St James' Park in four years earlier from Olympiacos for a bargain fee of £2 million although few had knowledge of the Greek defender before he came to Tyneside. He would become a firm fans favourite across the next six years, twice helping us to the FA Cup final and was a star performer in Sir Bobby Robson's free-flowing Magpies side that qualified for the Champions League in 2001/02.

He was partial to the odd gaffe and his own goal, a bullet header any striker would be proud of, against Tottenham is memorable for all the wrong reasons.