A former Newcastle United star has officially confirmed his plans for the future after announcing his retirement from professional football.
As one door closes, another opens for this player who helped Newcastle back up after being knocked down almost a decade ago.
The Magpies may not be in the position they are today had it not been for his exceptional form, so Newcastle United fans have a lot to thank him for.
Some former Newcastle players have gone on to embark on bizarre careers after retirement. Philippe Albert was a greengrocer for a decade before returning to punditry, and Shaka Hislop previously had an internship with NASA before becoming a shot-stopper for the Magpies.
Additionally, Ciaran Clark now plays in KSI’s Baller League following his retirement from the professional game alongside former Newcastle prospect Michael Ndiweni.
While this player has confirmed his retirement at the end of the season, his plans are not as bizarre as some listed above. Instead, he is set to stay in football in a more laid-back position.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Former Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle spent six years on Tyneside, helping them earn promotion back to the Premier League after signing from Crystal Palace in 2016.
An impressive 23-goal season was enough to pip Brighton to the Championship title on the final day of the season.
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Gayle left Newcastle for Stoke City in 2022, where he failed to make an impact. Stints at Derby County and Scottish Premiership side Hibernian followed before finally calling it a day.
In December, Gayle announced plans to retire from football at the end of the season, citing his body breaking down as the main reason for concluding his career aged 35.
The striker has now announced that he will become a football agent in the next stage of his career to remain a part of the game and to help younger players out.
A fitting final chapter to an EFL icon’s career 📖
Wishing Dwight Gayle all the best in his retirement following a wonderful, near 20-year career in the beautiful game 🤝 pic.twitter.com/jEwir3s1mG
— PFA (@PFA) May 16, 2025
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“It’s something I want to do to help other players and be involved in football still,” he told the Scotsman.
“It’s what I obviously love. It also gives me a bit more time to spend with the kids for the day-to-day, school drop-ins and stuff like that and the club. So I’m really excited to do that.
“But then, like I mentioned before, it allows me to come back and pretend I’m scouting players here and gives me an excuse to come and watch the Europa Games.
“It’s just obviously it’s something I like to do, help the players out. You can obviously help players with a lot of information that I’ve experienced for myself and things that I haven’t managed to see in football. It’s just something I’ve looked into doing.”
In his final season in professional football, Gayle helped Hibs secure European football next season, scoring six goals and bagging four assists in the Scottish top-flight.
Dwight Gayle had a run-in with a former Newcastle United manager
There is no doubt that Gayle will go on to do great things as an agent; his knowledge of the game will help the younger generation of players when they take the next step in their careers.
Newcastle fans will be sad to see Gayle retire, especially after everything he did to help them during his time on Tyneside. However, one person who may be happy to see the back of Gayle is former Newcastle manager Steve Bruce.
Recent interactions between Bruce and Gayle have been anything but positive. Gayle criticised Bruce’s training regime at Newcastle, claiming the 64-year-old did not take it seriously until the takeover in 2021.
Bruce was fuming at Gayle’s comments and referred back to a huge chance he missed in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Manchester City in 2020.
A few days later, Bruce branded Gayle as a liar during a radio interview, claiming his comments were ‘nonsense’.
It is fair to say Bruce will not have an invite to Gayle’s retirement party.