NEWCASTLE 3 BARCELONA 2, SEPTEMBER 1997

Take Asprilla, three times...

Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza or ‘Tino’ as he is more commonly referred is officially 42 today....although we suspect he may actually be a little older than that.

Decreed by FIFA in 1996 to be the sixth best player in the world, Tino was 99% lazy, disinterested and frequently frustrating.  But when that other 1% kicked in, he was completely and utterly unplayable.

Tino is possibly best remembered for his spell at Newcastle, where he is still revered as a cult hero.  Ultimately though, Asprilla was a maverick and it was his wayward tendencies that mean his record suggests nothing more than a journeyman striker.

But it was those one off moments that made Tino special, so today’s video is a return to an electric St James’ Park in 1997 for a Champions League tie between Newcastle and Barcelona.  Tino’s finest hour on Tyneside was also his swansong, his hat trick in this one turning out to be his final goals for the club.

Newcastle raced to a 3-0 lead before Luis Enrique and Luis Figo pulled late goals back for Barca.  As good as Tino’s finishing is, Keith Gillespie’s wingplay was fairly spectacular and his part in the victory should not be overlooked.  And just to add to this infuriatingly inconsistent trio, watch out for a very young Jon Dahl Tomasson in the Newcastle line up.

Click the image to watch.