FAUSTINO ASPRILLA knows a bit about the good times on Tyneside.
The cult hero also understands what it means to connect with the Geordie fan-base after three eventful seasons at Newcastle.
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Tino laid into greedy owner Mike Ashley for ripping the life out of the club, as he celebrated the Toon’s new mega-bucks ownership.
And the Colombian hailed the potential Saudi takeover with a tweet claiming Ashley had confused the famous black-and-white stripes for a barcode in the pursuit of money.
SunSport caught up with the flamboyant 50-year-old soon after — and he made clear his dislike of the Sports Direct billionaire and everything his 13 years in charge stood for.
Asprilla said: “Mike Ashley? He has acted in such a bad way for Newcastle United.
“Since the first day that he bought the team, he thought about his own personal benefit and he didn’t think about the club or the city.
“I know the supporters have suffered a lot since Ashley arrived because he always used the team to make money and sell players.
“He made a lot of money but he never invested in the team. He never looked to win the title or have an internationally-competitive team, as it was before.
“I want us to create a team like Manchester City, teams with money like Paris Saint-Germain.
“I hope we can buy the best players and compete at an international level and fight for the Premier League and European titles.
“With the Saudi money I hope we can create a team like the one we had in 1996-97 when we fought for the Premier League.”
Few things encapsulated the heady times of Newcastle late in the last century than when the club captured Asprilla from Parma in February 1996.
He had just been named as the sixth best footballer in the world by Fifa and arrived in the North East with a huge reputation on and off the pitch.
Signed by Kevin Keegan for £6.7million, he was billed as the forward that could make the difference in their title race with Manchester United.
Tino turned up in heavy snow, sporting a full-length fur coat and immediately caught the imagination of the Toon supporters.
Both he and Newcastle ultimately fell short in their quest for trophies — they came second to United in the 1995-96 AND 1996-97 seasons.
Mike Ashley agrees knockdown £300m deal with Saudi consortium to finally sell Newcastle
But Asprilla was left in little doubt what the club means to the city and their supporters.
And his hat-trick in a thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over Barcelona — his last goals for Newcastle — on September 17, 1997 is the stuff of legends for the Geordie nation.
So Asprilla knows a thing or two about what Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman needs to do, should his £300m deal get the Premier League green light in the coming weeks.
He added: “I’m very happy that Newcastle is close to being sold as it’s an historic team in the Premier League and needs capable people that really love the team.
“Someone that will buy the team not because it’s a business, but because it’s going to be a business for everybody.
“A business for him, for the city and for the fans — and a team that is competitive team in the Premier League again.
“I hope that the new owners understand the needs of the fans and understand the need for Newcastle to be competitive again.
“It had the best players and managers like Kevin Keegan, like Bobby Robson.
“So Newcastle deserves something better, like Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, players that were important.
“I want the new owners to understand the needs of the fans to compete.”
EXTRA EXPECTATION
Given the consortium backed by the sovereign wealth fund of the Saudi royal family, there is no shortage of financial might behind them.
Financier Amanda Staveley will take a ten per cent stake in the club once the takeover goes through.
She has spent almost three years attempting to buy Ashley out — gaining a detailed understanding of Newcastle and the expectations.
With multi-billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben also getting a ten per cent stake, there are some hugely wealthy individuals about to take over from the much- maligned Ashley.
One of the hardest jobs they are going to have, is to manage the expectations and whether they are about to embark on a spending spree snapping up some world stars.
Asprilla is already licking his lips about what is in store.
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He said: “I hope that with the Saudi money we can create a team like the one we had for a couple of seasons when we fought for the Premier League.
“I hope we can buy the best players and compete at an international level and fight for the Premier League and European titles.
“And I would like to visit Newcastle soon after this pandemic is over and people are allowed in a football stadium again.
“I would like to go soon because I have friends there.”
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Newcastle takeover: Faustino Asprilla hopes megabucks Saudi owners will outspend Man City and PSG to build - The Sun
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