Former Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin has reflected on his ‘exceptional’ time at the club.
Saint-Maximin joined Newcastle from Nice in 2019 for £16million and went on to play 124 times for the club, scoring 13 goals.
The French winger left The Magpies in 2023 to join PIF-owned Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. He scored four goals in 31 appearances during his first season in Saudi Arabia before joining Turkish club Fenerbahce on loan last summer.
Saint-Maximin scored four goals in 31 appearances for the second successive season despite a turbulent spell at Fenerbahce. The 28-year-old had a public spat with manager Jose Mourinho and, following his loan spell, accused the Istanbul outfit of giving him ‘doping products’ which the club has denied.
Now the winger is assessing his options as he officially becomes an Al-Ahli player once again. Now into the final year of a lucrative contract at Al-Ahli, Saint-Maximin is open to returning to Europe and finding his fourth club in little over two years.
But after two difficult seasons following his £21million exit from Newcastle, Saint-Maximin still looks back fondly on his time at St James’ Park as the best years of his career so far.
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‘A dream’ to sign for Newcastle United
“It was a dream for me to be able to sign in England,” he said. “It's a dream that has come true. And for me, it's the best league in the world.
“Newcastle is such a historic club, where I lived the best moments of my career. Frankly, it's exceptional. St James' Park, it gives me shivers.
“It's real football. Real football, real fans. A real city that loves football. And it's a club that gave me everything.
“If I managed to change my life and the lives of all the people around me, it's thanks to them. I will be eternally grateful to them.”
NUFC ‘changed my life’
Saint-Maximin became a fan favourite at Newcastle for his pace and flair at an otherwise uninspiring time for the club. The Frenchman’s first few seasons centred around relegation battles before the club finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League in 2022/23.
But that campaign just so happened to be Saint-Maximin’s least influential on the pitch as he scored just once in 25 appearances.
Yet two years after leaving Newcastle, Saint-Maximin’s relationship with the supporters is still strong.
“It was exceptional,” he admitted. “They welcomed me, they gave me so much love. That's why there are a lot of projects that are underway.
“In relation to this recognition, in relation to the creation of my [Helios] academy, in relation to a lot of things. They gave me a taste for football again.
“These fans, they don't realise it, but they changed my life. This fervour when you arrive at a stadium that shouts your name throughout the match. You see great fans and frankly, I don't even have the words, it was exceptional.
“That's why I say that these are experiences that you can live. Maybe you only live this kind of experience once.
“Afterwards, you live them, but you live them differently. That's what happened for me. It's a love story that was exceptional.
“I still want to thank them for that. Because without them, I wouldn't have found a taste for football.”
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