Newcastle fans hoping Kieran Trippier’s top-flight return is more Lineker than McManaman

Cameron Loftus
10 January 2022

Big things are expected of Trippier but not all returning heroes have been able to replicate their earlier form after successful spells in Europe, as Planet Sport finds out.

Kieran Trippier isn't the first English player to return to their homeland after success abroad.

The former Tottenham right-back won La Liga with Atletico Madrid but opted to swap Estadio Metropolitano for St James' Park after the lure of Newcastle's newly found riches proved too strong.

His Newcastle career got off to the worst possible start with an embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Cambridge United. And with relegation also a strong possibility it may turn out to be a decision Trippier lives to regret.

We take a look at how previous England internationals fared on their return to their homeland, including two with big Newcastle links, to see if beleaguered Magpies fans have any reason for optimism.

Chris Waddle

Widely regarded as one of the most naturally-gifted wingers the game has seen, Chris Waddle played over 300 times for Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, before moving to French club Marseille.

He made the switch in what was arguably his prime, and the deal reflected that as it made him the third most valuable player in the world at the time. He signed for a fee of £4.5million in 1989 and justified that figure by winning three successive Ligue 1 titles in France.

Waddle was voted the second best Marseille player of the century in 1998, once more showing how loved he was by the fans. The left-footed player made his last appearance for the England national team in 1991 and he returned to England in 1992 with Sheffield Wednesday after signing for £1million.

His first season back was a success, helping Wednesday overachieve by reaching both domestic finals. Waddle was voted Football Writers' Association Player of the Year that season.

Injuries hampered the rest of Waddle's career, however. Short spells at Falkirk, Bradford, Sunderland and Burnley were followed by Waddle appearing for non-league teams including Worksop and Stocksbridge Park Steels, Jamie Vardy's first club.

Sheffield Wednesday: 109 appearances, 10 goals

Kevin Keegan

Keegan joined Hamburg from Liverpool in 1977 and went on to win the Bundesliga title and reach the European Cup final, helping him win European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979.

Still in his prime, on his return to England, Keegan shocked the world by joining a relatively small club in Southampton. Keegan had captained England at the 1980 European Championship so the move to the south coast was widely considered a backwards step for the Armthorpe-born striker.

Nevertheless, he was able to play some of his best soccer at Southampton and the club secured their highest-ever finish in Keegan's first year of sixth. In his second, he was voted the PFA Player of the Year as he scored a career-high 30 goals, collecting the Golden Boot in the process.

After a fallout with Saints boss Lawrie McMenemy, he signed for Newcastle, where he would end his career at the age of just 33. He later went out to manager Newcastle, famously taking them to the brink of the Premier League title in 1995/96.

Southampton: 68 league appearances, 37 goals

Steve McManaman

Spanish giants Real Madrid picked up the mercurial Liverpool and England winger on a free transfer at the age of 27 on July 1, 1999.

McManaman won six major trophies with Los Blancos including two Champions League and two La Liga titles and was loved by the Real fans despite often struggling to hold down a place in the side.

Dogged by an Achilles injury and having seen David Beckham usurp him at Madrid, McManaman returned to England aged 31.

He signed for Manchester City and long-time admirer Kevin Keegan and his time there started brightly. However, by Christmas, results had dried up and McManaman started a sequence of regular injury absences.

He was soon vilified by City fans, with a sordid sex story revelation in the News of the World helping cement his place in the club's five worst free transfer signings.

Across 44 matches in two seasons for City, McManaman failed to register a goal before retiring from the game in 2005.

Manchester City: 35 league appearances, 0 goals

David Platt

David Platt had success at both Crewe Alexandra and Aston Villa before making a big move to Italy, joining Bari for £5.5million. The England attacking midfielder adapted quickly to life abroad, impressing in his first season and scoring 11 goals.

However, following relegation to Serie B he moved to Juventus, where he spent a season and then signed for another Italian club, Sampdoria.

After four years in Italy, Platt signed for Arsenal with Bruce Rioch the man to bring him to Highbury. Arsene Wenger took over the next season and Platt was a vital part of the Gunners team. He was a regular next to Patrick Vieira in midfield and helped Arsenal to a third-placed finish.

Platt made a total of 104 appearances for Arsenal which brought 14 goals.

In 1998, he retired with the intention of taking a year out to study for his coaching badges. However, within months he returned to Sampdoria as 'overall supervisor' - he could not be named manager as he did not possess the appropriate coaching badges.

He lasted only six games before resigning having failed to oversee a win.

In July 1999 he signed a three-year contract to become player-manager of second-tier side Nottingham Forest. Again it was an unsuccessful spell, with Platt wasting huge sums of money of players in his two years there as Forest finished 14th and 11th.

Arsenal: 88 league appearances, 13 goals

Gary Lineker

A scorer of 48 goals for England, Lineker began his career with Leicester before spending a season with Everton.

Lineker then made his first move away from England, joining Barcelona in a high-profile transfer for £2.8million.

In his first season he bagged 21 goals including an El Clasico hat-trick but ended his time in Spain playing on the wing and out of position. He ended his time at Barca with 48 goals in 129 appearances.

Manchester United made a move to sign the Match of the Day presenter in 1989, but Lineker opted to sign for Tottenham Hotspur.

In three seasons at White Hart Lane, Lineker scored 67 league goals in 105 league games and won his first English trophy as he lifted the FA Cup in 1991. The previous season he had finished as the league's top scorer, registering his name on the scoresheet 24 times as Spurs finished third.

He ended his career in Japan with Grampus Eight. However, his spell there was ruined by injuries and only managed eight goals in 24 appearances before hanging up his boots.

Tottenham: 105 league appearances, 67 goals

Glenn Hoddle

Like Lineker, Hoddle will go down as one of the best players of his generation. A Spurs legend, Hoddle made almost 500 appearances for the club he began his career at. Only four players have made more appearances for Tottenham.

Arsene Wenger, the newly-appointed AS Monaco manager, was able to tempt Hoddle to embark on a new adventure in France. He helped the team to their first Ligue 1 success in six seasons and was named Foreign Player of the Year in 1987/88.

He returned to England in 1991, where he took the unusual route of becoming a player-manager. While at Swindon, he played 67 games and helped them gain promotion to the top flight in his two years at the club.

He then joined Chelsea as player-manager, helping them to the FA Cup final in his first season. Following his retirement, he went on to manage England, Tottenham and Wolves before moving into the media.

Swindon: 67 league appearances, 2 goals