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Newcastle United supporters crowned Aleksandar Mitrovic as their cult hero during his eventful three-year spell at St James’ Park.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has revealed he still follows Newcastle United seven years after his controversial exit.
A boyhood Toon fan, the Serb began following the club due to its famous black-and-white strip. Mitrovic’s domestic team, Partizan Belgrade, also don the iconic club colours.
On arrival, the young 20-year-old made no secret of his love for the Magpies, including legends like Alan Shearer. He was thrown into the deep end of Premier League life during Mike Ashley’s turbulent reign as owner.
Aleksandar Mitrovic at Newcastle United
Mitrovic quickly became somewhat of a cult hero at St James’ Park. The 6ft 2in target man was booked just 15 seconds into his Newcastle debut for wiping out Southampton defender Matt Targett.
A week later, Mitrovic saw red against Arsenal to earn the reckless and volatile reputation that has followed him throughout his career. Highlights include a late equaliser in the Tyne-Wear derby almost a decade ago - who could forget his crazy celebration that followed?
However, his temperament and reckless nature did not align with Rafa Benitez’s vision on Tyneside. The duo endured a frosty relationship and Mitrovic - restricted to appearances from the bench in the Championship-winning campaign - was ultimately sold to Fulham.
Aleksandar Mitrovic on Newcastle United
Speaking to Flashscore, the now 31-year-old - who recently joined Qatari club Al-Rayyan - opened up about his continuing love for Newcastle. Mitrovic said: “I didn’t feel any pressure around that. It was nice, Newcastle is a club I’ve always really liked. It has had a special place in my heart since I started following football.
“Maybe because of the colour of the shirt, because the team I support in Serbia also play in black and white. When I got to Newcastle, I understood that for the people there, football is almost like a religion. They live for football.
“It was my first love in football, though I went there a little bit young and inexperienced. I was 20, 21 years old and playing the best league in the world. I didn’t have a lot of time to adapt.
Rafa Benitez rejects Aleksandar Mitrovic claim
Benitez frequently dismissed suggestions he made a mistake by selling Mitrovic throughout his time as Newcastle manager. He told reporters in 2018: “Maybe it didn’t go exactly as I planned, but we still created some great memories and connections with the fans. I still have a lot of friends there.
"He is doing well, he did well for Serbia, but (Salomon) Rondon was doing well for Venezuela. Each player has his own environment and they can do well in one team and maybe not as well in the other one.
"We had to make a decision in terms of what we needed and we knew what we needed, that's it, now we have to move forward. It does not change my decision. I have to carry on with Ayoze Perez, Joselu, Yoshinori Mutuo and Rondon, that's it."
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