348: Faustino Asprilla, Newcastle United, Merlin’s Premier League 97 Official Sticker Collection

Merry Christmas one and all and here’s hoping you’re not too stuffed from yesterday ahead of the annual Boxing Day feast of football. Sadly such traditions seem to have been forgotten in the Premier League where only five games take place but no doubt the thrills of Bournemouth v Fulham and Burnley v Liverpool will be preceded by a reminder of the Division One results on Boxing Day 1963 where an average of 6.6 goals per game were scored across ten fixtures. Ipswich Town came in for particular punishment going down 10-1 at Craven Cottage while West Ham United shipped eight goals at home to Blackburn Rovers. Needless to say cynical modern eyes have been quick to suggest a few too many festive hangovers in the defensive departments.

Some players have disproved such suggestions over the years. Legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin swore by a strong drink to “tone the muscles” while at the other end of the pitch Jamie Vardy famously prepared for big games in Leicester City’s miracle run to Premier League glory with half a bottle of port. David Hirst even managed to do a job in front of and in between the posts on New Year’s Day 1990 for Sheffield Wednesday having put away eight glasses of champagne before kick off. Clearly such foresight went into the Newcastle United debut of Colombian forward and maverick Faustino Asprilla.

Prior to his arrival in the North East of England Asprilla was one of the stars of Serie A in a Parma side brimming with quality (and Tomas Brolin). Having netted over fifty goals across four seasons in his native Colombia he was signed for $10.9m in 1992 and chipped in with vital goals throughout his first campaign in Italy. His long range free kick earned I Gialloblu a famous victory against the all conquering AC Milan, ending an undefeated run of 58 games for the Rossoneri, and his four goals in eight Cup Winners’ Cup appearances helped fire Parma to the final of Europe’s greatest club tournament. Asprilla was an unused substitute for their victory over Royal Antwerp as he recovered from injury but helped Parma to European Super Cup glory over AC Milan the following year. His sixteen goals in the 1993/94 season helped Parma to another Cup Winners’ Cup final where they lost out to Arsenal but he experienced more continental joy in the following campaign as Parma defeated Juventus in the UEFA Cup final having lost out to the Old Lady in the league and Coppa Italia.

Asprilla found himself frozen out of the Parma first team in the 1995/96 season and clearly took this time to purchase a fur coat which served him well when he arrived in a snowy Newcastle in February 1996 ahead of a north-east derby with Middlesbrough. Having landed in the country less than a day earlier he relaxed before the game with a glass of wine only to find himself named on the substitute bench. John Beresford had put one past Pavel Srnicek to leave the Magpies wobbling and Kevin Keegan decided to bring Asprilla on for Keith Gillespie to try and create some magic.. The Colombian obliged within six minutes of his introduction when his pinpoint cross was headed home by a marauding Steve Watson and shortly afterwards Les Ferdinand completed Newcastle’s comeback. Moreover the Magpies were top of the Premier League with a twelve-point lead over Manchester United.

The rest of Newcastle’s season has gone down in history as the wheels came off and a resurgent Manchester United with returning talisman Eric Cantona snatched the Premier League from under their noses. A host of armchair pundits, and an embittered Keith Gillespie, pointed to Asprilla as a disruptive influence on a settled side. A suspension for clashing with Keith Curle and his speedy escape on the back of a motorbike to avoid a dressing down from Keegan following a 2-0 loss to Arsenal might support such an analysis but Asprilla admitted that his main reason for said quick departure was the fact he didn’t understand a word his manager was saying. Additionally his teammates Steve Howey, Peter Beardsley and Les Ferdinand disputed such criticism and highlighted the collective responsibility involved in team sport. 

On the pitch Asprilla endured mixed fortunes as Newcastle looked to right the wrongs of 1995/96 with the signing of £15m local hero Alan Shearer. Although largely a substitute for the campaign he scored five goals in six games as the Toon reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup although he missed their eventual defeat to Monaco having been booked for removing his shirt after his second goal against Metz in the previous round. With Ferdinand and David Ginola sold ahead of the 1997/98 season, and Shearer injured in pre-season, Apsrilla was called upon to lead the line as Newcastle hit the bright lights of the Champions League. His hat trick against the mighty Barcelona in a thrilling 3-2 victory wrote his name into Tyneside folklore but, with the Magpies struggling in the league, Asprilla returned to Parma in January 1998 for £6m. In his short time at St James’s Park he made an indelible impression on the Newcastle fans but perhaps made even more of a mark on his teammates for a range of reasons. Warren Barton reflected back in 2021 that “when I think of him I can’t help but smile” while Robbie Elliott described him as “the life and soul of the team”. Maybe both of them were impressed with the openness he showed when he shared his then girlfriend’s most recent adult film on the team bus ahead of an away game.

Back at Parma Asprilla won the Coppa Italia and another UEFA Cup before heading to Brazilian outfit Palmeiras where he picked up two further trophies. A series of short spells around the world preceded his formal retirement in 2009 having not played for around five years previously. Ahead of the 2002/03 season he was briefly linked with Darlington and was paraded in front of the club’s fans by soon to be convicted tax evading chairman George Reynolds. He refused to complete a medical, however, and reneged on his verbal contract by jumping on a flight to the Middle East. The maverick aspects of Asprilla’s lifestyle often meant his impressive footballing career and outstanding ability, which also saw him earn 57 caps for Colombia, scoring over a century of goals across 400 professional appearances. Maybe his choice of pre-match video entertainment might be best avoided this festive season but perhaps a cheeky glass of red before your next run out might spur you on to similar cult hero status. 

Have a great Christmas, all the best for 2024 and thanks for reading, sharing, liking and engaging this year. Nearly four years on from our first post we’re open for any new requests and if you fancy writing a guest post for us just drop us a line on Mr Musk’s social experiment. Cheers!