The last 25 years have been truly wild for Newcastle United, with relegations, takeovers, and a couple of trophies.
The year 2025 is now almost over which means we are a quarter of the way through the 21st century. So, now is a perfect time to reflect on what’s happened at Newcastle United since the turn of the millennium.
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The club has twice dropped into the second tier, only to get promoted from the Championship immediately. We’ve also seen Newcastle owners come and go, as have managers like Sir Bobby Robson, Kevin Keegan, and the current man at the top, Eddie Howe.
Those Newcastle United managers have had the pleasure of working with truly great players like Alan Shearer, Shay Given, and Bruno Guimaraes. But what about the players who came and went in a flash?
Here are five players you will have definitely forgotten turned out for Newcastle over the last 25 years.
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Who remembers these Newcastle United players?
Patrick Kluivert
He’s one of the greatest Dutch talents in the modern era, but nobody seems to remember that Patrick Kluivert actually spent some time in England with Newcastle United.
Kluivert arrived on a free transfer from Barcelona in the summer of 2004 and made 37 appearances for the Magpies while scoring 13 goals. He performed particularly well in Newcastle’s UEFA Cup run, with five goals in six games there.
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His time on Tyneside was short-lived, though. Kluivert returned to Spain just a year later, joining Valencia for free. Admittedly, a few fans will remember this one, but the fact that a proper superstar came to Newcastle for that one season still feels like a bit of a fever dream.
Giuseppe Rossi
From a footballing icon to one of football’s forgotten wonderkids, Giuseppe Rossi never quite lived up to the hype he generated when he first broke through at Manchester United. Despite early promise, he would only go on to make 14 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring four goals.
Near the start of his career, the Italian forward spent a short spell on loan at St. James’ Park, but it was very, very forgettable. He only scored one goal in 13 games before returning to United.
Funnily enough, Rossi did play in the Champions League and represented Italy on 30 occasions, so it wasn’t all bad.
Sol Campbell
Looking back at Sol Campbell’s career, you’ll see a bizarre journey, and no, we’re not talking about him leaving Spurs to join bitter rivals Arsenal.
After he won the Premier League as part of Arsenal’s Invincibles side of 2004, Campbell eventually joined Portsmouth two years later. From there, he dropped down to League Two to play for Notts County, largely because he wanted to team up with former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. He lasted a month there before terminating his contract.
Another brief spell at Arsenal followed, but Campbell would end his career at Newcastle. He probably shouldn’t have bothered, though. He made just eight appearances in the 2010/11 season and then retired.
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Andy Carroll playing for Newcastle United, Ivan Toney playing for Brentford.
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Shefki Kuqi
Sheffield Wednesday fans will not need reminding who Shefki Kuqi is, but Newcastle fans will probably have forgotten all about this journeyman of a striker.
The big forward played in his native Finland before arriving in England back in 2001 when he joined Stockport County. From there, he moved on to Sheffield Wednesday where he sealed his place in folklore at Hillsborough with key goals and passionate celebrations.
Eight clubs, and a brief trip to Germany later, Kuqi would sign for Newcastle in 2011 on a free transfer from Swansea City. He only made six appearances before leaving to join Oldham half a year later.
Emre Belozoglu
Like Patrick Kluivert, Emre Belozoglu is a name most football fans will remember, but again, it feels almost surreal that he was at Newcastle.
I’m not saying Emre was too good for Newcastle or anything. But, when he left Inter Milan in 2005 as an Italian Cup winner, it’s safe to say the Turkish midfielder brought a degree of pedigree and quality to Tyneside.
He spent three years at Newcastle before returning to Turkey, but while he was with the Magpies Emre’s combative style of play and gritty displays earned him plenty of fans. Now, his spell here is a distant memory, but a fond one nonetheless.
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