Flop who cost Newcastle United £14m per goal announces retirement from football

Former Newcastle United outcast Xisco has announced his retirement from football - almost 16 years on from Kevin Keegan’s explosive second exit.

In September 2008, the Magpies were in turmoil just three games into the new Premier League season. Keegan walked out - just as he did 11 years earlier - after Newcastle bought two foreign imports and sold James Milner to Aston Villa without his backing.

The saga spelled the turning point in Mike Ashley’s ownership, with the relationship between club and fans remaining fractured for another 13 years. Keegan opened up about the ordeal at a talk-in event in 2018.

“It wasn’t Mike’s beer-guzzling that upset me that day,” he said. “It was the fact that Tony Jimenez, the executive who had been put in charge of Newcastle’s transfer business, had informed me we were spending £5.7 million on a Spanish player called Xisco whom nobody from the club had ever seen play.

“On the same day the Xisco bombshell was dropped, I had also found out a Uruguayan by the name of Ignacio Gonzalez was joining us as a favour for two South American agents. He was adamant we should give him a go and suggested that if I clicked on YouTube I might find some footage to change my opinion.”

Xisco, aged 37, has now retired to close that chapter once and for all. The Spaniard scored on his debut against Hull City - a 2-1 defeat - but barely featured again.

He made just 11 appearances over five years, spending most of his time on loan at Racing Santander and Deportivo La Coruna. In total, Xisco’s £5.7million and £60,000 per week wages cost Newcastle around £14million.

Writing on social media, the former striker made no reference to his time on Tyneside. He posted: “It was at Depor that I made my debut in La Liga and scored my first goals, fulfilling the dream of any player.

“The most gratifying moments were the promotions with Córdoba and Osasuna, where from the first moment I felt very identified with the philosophy of the club and we formed a big family. The pity has been that, due to injuries and other issues, I have not been able to contribute as much as I would have liked to the team.”