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?
13. Shola Ameobi
Ameobi would remain at United for another decade before departing in 2014. His playing career took him to Turkish side Gaziantep and the likes of Crystal Palace, Bolton, Fleetwood Town and Notts County. After retiring in 2018, Ameobi returned to Newcastle as the club’s first ever ‘loan manager’, a role he still holds to this day. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
14. Hugo Viana
Things never quite worked out for the talented Portugal international at Newcastle. Loan spells with Sporting CP and Valencia preceded a permanent move to the latter in 2006. His career came to a close with spells at Dubai-based rivals Al-Ahli and Al-Wasl before he held roles at director of football with Belenenses and Sporting. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images