A former Premier League star has shocked fans after being spotted busking in a city centre just four years after retirement.
Jonas Gutierrez racked up 154 appearances in the English top flight, the majority of which were spent playing for Newcastle United – where he spent seven seasons after signing from RCD Mallorca in 2010.
Gutierrez, who also had a brief loan with Norwich City, played 205 times for the Magpies and was part of the side which finished fifth in the Premier League under Alan Pardew in 2011/12.
An Argentina international who played 22 times for his country, Gutierrez is responsible one of sport’s greatest comeback moments when he overcame testicular cancer to score on the final day of the 2014/15 season against West Ham and keep Newcastle in the top flight.
Gutierrez later played for Deportivo la Coruna and a slew of sides in his native Argentina before hanging up his boots in 2021.
But the 41-year-old has quite the side quest ongoing at the moment after being seen in the middle of the street, playing his guitar and singing.
A video of Gutierrez playing away and watching the world go by on Tyneside before being met by a loud cheer, went viral after being uploaded by the former winger on his social media account.
Gutierrez wrote: “My City, my home. I Am a geordie I Love this City I Love this people. Thanks for everything @nufc a dream come true playing guitar at the monument.”
Gutierrez left Newcastle nearly a decade ago and actually won a disability discrimination lawsuit against Newcastle a year after his departure.
Jonas Gutierrez remains a huge fan favourite at Newcastle. Image: Getty
However he still has a very strong relationship with the club’s supporters and will never forget what they did for him given how they rallied for him in his fight against cancer.
“I will always be grateful to the Newcastle fans for the way they supported me throughout the problems I faced, and for all of the outpourings of affection I have received,” Gutierrez told The Chronicle in 2018.
“I believe the fundamental step [for me to succeed in England] was to first go abroad and play in the Spanish league. It would have been a completely different experience if I had moved from Argentina straight to England.
“I feel nostalgic. What I felt playing in England, I have never experienced playing anywhere else.
“I believe also that my way of playing was something that the Newcastle fans liked very much. They knew that when I was playing, I would always give 100 per cent.”
