Newcastle United’s All-Time Starting XI
By Bryan Nelson
!["St James' Park from the Sandman Signature hotel, 18 April 2012" by Ian Paterson. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_James%27_Park_from_the_Sandman_Signature_hotel,_18_April_2012.jpg#/media/File:St_James%27_Park_from_the_Sandman_Signature_hotel,_18_April_2012.jpg "St James' Park from the Sandman Signature hotel, 18 April 2012" by Ian Paterson. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_James%27_Park_from_the_Sandman_Signature_hotel,_18_April_2012.jpg#/media/File:St_James%27_Park_from_the_Sandman_Signature_hotel,_18_April_2012.jpg](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/dcb23f1e95819c3853657e15661da467771c03ba9695f16599828a88333f5cb1.jpg)
Leftback: Jose Enrique
One of the great athletes to ever pull on a Newcastle United shirt, leftback Jose Enrique was renowned for his incredible pace. As a youngster he had to choose between football and running for the Spain national team and thankfully he chose to ply his trade on a pitch and not a track.
Enrique was purchased by Sam Allardyce for £6.3 million, choosing Newcastle over Manchester City and Liverpool. He made 119 appearances for the club and was also part of the team that helped the Magpies earn promotion from the Championship.
It was when the club was relegated where Enrique earned his place in the hearts of Newcastle fans as he rejected moves to other clubs when the club was struggling financially. He vowed to help them return to prominence and he did his part by excelling in the English second-tier.
He has not had as much success on the pitch since joining Liverpool in 2011 but he will always be remembered fondly on Tyneside. Enrique is a no-brainer choice for this position although there are several other contenders pushing for his place.
Next: Midfield