Newcastle United will return to the Champions League after an absence of over three decades when they make the trip to AC Milan later this month.
Eddie Howe’s side will become the first United side to feature in European football’s elite club competition since a difficult night at St James Park in March 2003 when the likes of Alan Shearer, Craig Bellamy and Laurent Robert were unable to prevent Barcelona from claiming a 2-0 win on Tyneside.
That defeat brought down the curtain on the memorable run in the competition as Sir Bobby Robson’s Magpies became the first side to recover from three group stage defeats to progress into the second round of the competition. Some lifelong memories were created, with nights in the San Siro, Camp Nou and Feyenoord’s De Kuip Stadium going down in Tyneside folklore.
But where are the players that represented United in their last Champions League group stage fixture now?
5. Titus Bramble
Bramble left United to join Wigan in 2007 before returning to the North East with Sunderland three years later. Shown a red card in the Magpies famous 5-1 win over their local rivals, Bramble brought down the curtain on his professional career when he left Sunderland in 2013. Bramble now works with the Future Stars Charity. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
6. Andy O’Brien
After leaving United in 2005, O’Brien played for Portsmouth, Bolton, Leeds United and Vancouver Whitecaps before retiring in 2014. The Republic of Ireland international has held scouting positions at a number of clubs since his retirement and is currently UK and MLS head scout for Liverpool. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
7. Jermaine Jenas
Jenas made a controversial departure from St James Park in the early months of the 2005/06 season to join Spurs and also played for Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and QPR before retiring in 2014. Now a television host and pundit, Jenas unexpectedly turned up as host of the draw for the 2022 World Cup Finals. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
8. Kieron Dyer
Dyer played for West Ham United, Ipswich Town, QPR and Middlesbrough before retiring in 2013. He held various coaching roles at Ipswich between 2018 and 2022 but has suffered health issues in recent years after suffering a collapsed lung on reality TV show ‘Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins’. Dyer has been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis and is awaiting a liver transplant. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images