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Newcastle’s forgotten man: Patrick Kluivert

By Durim Halimi

LONDON - NOVEMBER 20: Patrick Kluivert of Newcastle celabrates scoring against Crystal Palace during the Barclays Premiership match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle at Selhurst Park on November 20, 2004 in London. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)
LONDON - NOVEMBER 20: Patrick Kluivert of Newcastle celabrates scoring against Crystal Palace during the Barclays Premiership match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle at Selhurst Park on November 20, 2004 in London. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United signed some big name players in the past, but how many fans remember that this notable Dutch striker once played for the Magpies?

Previous articles related to this series reminded fans of Emre Belozoglu and Xisco, but this article takes a look at a star player who swapped the purple and burgundy stripes of Barcelona for the black and white stripes of Newcastle United: Patrick Kluivert.

Kluivert made a name for himself as a prolific scorer when he played for Ajax and Barcelona. The former Dutch international spent the majority of his career – nine seasons – playing for those two clubs and scored an astonishing 174 goals across all competitions in 252 appearances for the Dutch and Spanish giants.

Then, in July of 2004, Kluivert became a free agent and joined Newcastle United on a one-year deal, but the Magpies had the option of extending Kluivert’s contract for two more years if he impressed during the 2004-05 Premier League campaign. Spoiler alert: Kluivert packed his bags and moved to Valencia in the summer of 2005.

Kluivert was a decent striker for Newcastle United, but it was clear that he was a player past his prime and in decline. This was further validated when Kluivert retired from football in 2007 after only managing to score nine goals for Valencia, PSV and Lille after his departure from St. James’ Park.

Kluivert did a solid job on the front-line for Newcastle United in the UEFA Cup by scoring five times in six games. The problem for the Dutchman, though, was his inconsistency in the Premier League. Kluivert was expected to score in double figures as he did in five of his six seasons at Barcelona, but he only found the back of the net a mere six times.

Next. Newcastle Duos - Sissoko and Wijnaldum. dark

As a result, Kluivert’s first season in the Premier League was also his last. The idea of Patrick Kluivert and Alan Shearer forming a lethal partnership up top was an intriguing idea at the time, but it did not work out as the duo only combined to score 13 league goals. If only they had teamed up two or three seasons earlier.