Newcastle’s greatest ever academy XI | OneFootball

Highlights

Over the years, Newcastle United have had some major ups and downs. Whether it's contending for the Premier League, or suffering relegation to the Championship, the club has seen it all. It's also seen some pretty impressive footballers come through its ranks. Whether they went on to play for the Magpies, or became icons elsewhere, there have been more than a few figures who came out of the academy that went on to enjoy significant success in football.

We've decided to compile an XI of the very best examples of those players, some went on to become cult figures at St James' Park, others did so elsewhere while one is still forging his legacy with the club. Without further ado, here is the XI.

11 GK - Brad Friedel

For our money, Brad Friedel has to go down as one of the most underrated, but solid goalkeepers in Premier League history. The American was excellent in between the sticks for whoever he played for and there's a reason he spent so long in the English top flight.

Whether it was at Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa or Tottenham Hotspur, he was superb and there were few shot-stoppers in the world who performed as consistently as he did. We might have gotten this list off to a star with a little bit of cheating, though, as Friedel was never actually officially with Newcastle. Instead, they tried to sign him in 1995 and after failing a work permit, he never played for the side but spent a significant amount of time training with the academy. That counts in our eyes, so he's selected here and what a goalkeeper he was.

10 RB – Steve Watson

Now, this one's a little less controversial. Steve Watson spent eight years with Newcastle, including time in the side's academy and eventually went on to become a long-term key figure in the senior team's lineup. Having joined the academy in 1990, it wasn't long before he joined the first team, and he became the youngest player in Magpies history when he made his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers at just 16 years old.

His talent was apparent from the get-go, and he spent almost a decade in the squad, making almost 300 appearances in the process. He eventually left and joined Aston Villa in 1998, before later spells at Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday. He might not be the most glamourous right-back in Newcastle's history, but he's certainly the best one to have come from their own academy.

9 CB – Aaron Hughes

Throughout his career, Aaron Hughes was a fine Premier League defender who impressed for Fulham and Aston Villa in the top flight, but it was Newcastle where he began his career and for the first decade of his career, he was a solid figure for the Geordie club. Joining the academy in 1996, he spent nine years at St. James' Park and was a first-team regular for the majority of that period. Hughes even played in the Champions League with the team.

He left in 2005 when he moved to Villa in the Midlands, but he left having given his all to the Magpies for nine years and his efforts in the team shouldn't be ignored. It wasn't just at club level where he impressed, though. Only one outfield player, Steven Davis (140), has more appearances than Hughes (112) for Northern Ireland, and he led his country as captain for the majority of his time in international football. Not a bad career at all.

8 CB – Steven Taylor

Through the 2000s and early 2010s, Steven Taylor was a staple at the heart of the Newcastle defence. He was a natural leader for the club and was there for the highs and lows that they experienced during the period. He played for the team in Europe, but also in the second tier, highlighting just how much he gave to them over the years. The defender first joined the club in 1995 when he was just nine years old, and he remained with them for over two decades.

His longevity undeniably makes him an icon for the Magpies and there are few defenders who have contributed as much as he has over the years. By 2014, though, he found opportunities in the side limited and his minutes significantly dwindled. In search of regular action, he eventually left in 2016 when he moved to Portland Timbers, but he left having made almost 300 appearances for the Magpies.

7 LB – Dan Burn

Dan Burn is an interesting case as he started off in the Newcastle academy, and is a boyhood supporter of the club, but it wasn't until he was 29 years old that he actually made his debut for the team. That's because he was let go by the Magpies after his spell in the academy, and went through a number of different youth teams before joining Darlington several years later.

From there, he worked his way up the ranks and excelled at the likes of Fulham, Wigan Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion before earning a transfer back to his beloved Magpies in January 2022. Eddie Howe had just been appointed, and the team were going through a revolution following their big-money takeover, but it was Burn they wanted to bring in to upgrade their left-back position. He's since made 68 appearances for the team and continues to play a significant role as they embark on a Champions League campaign this year and compete for a top-four spot in the Premier League simultaneously.

6 CM – Sean Longstaff

During Newcastle's rough period in the late 2010s, Sean Longstaff's emergence into the first team was one of the rare bright spots for the club. Alongside his brother Matty, the Englishman broke into the team during the 2018-19 season and made his debut 12 years after joining Newcastle's academy.

Matty didn't quite solidify his spot in the team, but Sean did, and he's remained a key figure ever since. Following their takeover in 2021, many expected his time at his boyhood club to come to an end, but he's managed to keep ahold of his spot in the lineup and is more important to them than ever. You only have to look at how ineffective the midfield is whenever he isn't on the pitch to recognise his impact. At 25 years old, there's still plenty of time ahead of him in his career and who knows what he'll achieve with the club.

5 AM – Paul Gascoigne

One of the most gifted footballers to have ever come from England, Paul Gascoigne could light up any game at any time and there were few players who had the flair and offensive impact that he did. The icon started his career at Newcastle and spent five years in the club's academy before making his first-team debut in 1985.

From there he became almost an immediate hit with the team and quickly emerged as one of their most important figures. He terrorised defenders whenever he had the opportunity to, and he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year during his time at St. James' Park. Gazza caught the attention of the world, and he was highly sought after, leading to his exit from the Magpies in 1988 when he moved to Tottenham. He left having made over 100 appearances, but it was the legacy he forged after, for Spurs, Lazio, Rangers and the England national side that earned him a spot in the greatest XI to have ever come out of the Newcastle academy.

4 RW – Lee Clark

While a spell at Sunderland might have soured his legacy at Newcastle in the eyes of some fans, Lee Clark was a solid player for the Magpies and spent the first decade of his career with the team. Having joined the academy in 1987, he made his senior debut in 1990 and remained a regular fixture of the lineup for the next seven years.

He played a significant role in the team during the early years of the Premier League, including in their pursuit of the Premier League title in 1995-96, but after they fell short to Manchester United, the club signed David Batty to strengthen their midfield defensively and as a result, Clark was dropped. He left in 1997, joining arch-rivals Sunderland to the shock of many. Grudges clearly weren't held, though, and he returned to St. James' Park for the 2005-06 season, playing one year for the Magpies before retiring in 2006.

3 LW – Alan Thompson

Alan Thompson came from the Newcastle academy and had an impressive career in football, but it wasn't for the Magpies. Instead, he made just 20 appearances for the club before moving to Bolton Wanderers in 1993. It was with the Trotters where he excelled, though. He played for the club for five years, before spells at Aston Villa and Celtic solidified his legacy as a great winger.

He might have featured very little for the club, but he still came from Newcastle's academy, so he earned a spot in this team.

2 ST – Peter Beardsley

Across two spells for Newcastle, Peter Beardsley became a club legend. He also came from the academy but didn't spend too long among the setup before moving on. He spent time at Vancouver Whitecaps and Manchester United before he was brought back to the Magpies, and he hit the ground running as a senior player.

Beardsley scored 61 goals in 164 games for the side before leaving after four years. He joined Liverpool but after spells at the Reds and their Merseyside rivals Everton, he once again returned St. James' Park for another four years. He picked up where he left off too, scoring another 58 goals for the team in 162 games, solidifying his place as a Newcastle legend.

1 ST – Andy Carroll

At one point, it looked like Andy Carroll was going to become a hero for Newcastle who would lead the lines for the club for the foreseeable future. He joined the side when he was just 17 years old in 2006, but it wasn't until the 2009-10 season that he became a key figure in the senior side.

He thrived in the Championship, firing the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. He then hit the ground running in the Premier League too, scoring for fun until he earned a £35m move to Liverpool in January 2011. Things went a little south from there, and despite spells at a handful of clubs including the Reds and West Ham United, he never replicated the form he showed with the Magpies initially. He returned to Newcastle in 2019 and spent a further two years with the side, but it was a shell of his first spell, and he scored just once in 43 games. Still, that first run was special and he's had a fine career.