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Chris Byfield
Newcastle have invited a club icon to St James’ Park for their Champions League encounter with Barcelona, a report has claimed.
Premier European competition returns to St James’ Park on Thursday after one season away, as Newcastle welcome five-time Champions League winners Barcelona.
And according to the Sun, Newcastle have issued an invite for Colombian maverick attacker Tino Asprilla to attend the Champions League clash.
Of course, 28-years-ago Asprilla cemented his place in Toon folklore when he sealed a 3-2 Champions League win over the Catalan giants by scoring a hat-trick.
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The report claims that Asprilla last visited St James’ Park in 2011, but the Magpies are doing all they can so that the enigmatic Colombian can return later this week.
Previously recalling his hat-trick against Barcelona, Asprilla joked on X in 2018: “After that match, I woke up with three Real Madrid supporting girlfriends.”
Asprilla remains a beloved figure in Newcastle, with club legend and Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer having said of the Colombian: "He was brilliant.
"He was brilliant for the dressing room because he was a character. He loved a laugh and a joke.
"And he could do no wrong in the dressing room really because he didn't speak a lot of English."
On Asprilla, another former Newcastle player, Robbie Elliott told the Guardian in 2021. “He was the life and soul of the team.
“We were a very tight-knit group and he came in and added to that. He integrated very quickly; his smile every morning was infectious. You could always hear his voice. He had an interpreter, but his English was better than he let on.
“Newcastle really were on the map when we were getting players like Tino to join. There were reasons behind everyone Kevin signed.
“With Tino it was that unpredictability, he just unlocked teams. His nickname was the octopus because his legs were everywhere and you literally had no idea what he was going to do.”