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Jonas Gutierrez announces ‘last dance’ after 38 years 4 months 10 days

2 years ago
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Jonas Gutierrez is finally calling it a day.

At the age of 38 years four months and ten days, the Newcastle United cult hero will play his very final match later today (if selected).

On 5 July 2021, Jonas Gutierrez signed for Almagro, the club that he supports, based in Buenos Aires and currently playing in the second tier of Argentine football.

In ninth place, it is the final league match of the season tonight (8pm kick-off by UK time), at home against Ferro Carril Oeste.

Restricted to only sub appearances in the league for Almagro, Jonas Gutierrez has came off the bench six times and remains unbeaten so far in the matches he has featured in, hopefully he can successfully complete that record tonight.

Jonas Gutierrez referring to this final matchday of his professional career as ‘The Last Dance’ via his Twitter account:

Such a popular player and person, Jonas Gutierrez is clearly going to be a big miss:

Seven years at St James Park proved to Newcastle United fans what a great character Jonas Gutierrez is.

Always gave his all on the pitch and a key player in that fifth place Premier League season of 2011/12.

Whilst off the pitch he was also very popular with both fans and the other players, a larger than life character.

He also had real bottle, not only overcoming the nightmare of finding out he had testicular cancer, but also standing up to Mike Ashley.

Maybe the most shameful Ashley NUFC moment of all (against some VERY stiff competition), the former Newcastle United owner found by a tribunal to have discriminated against Jonas when he was recovering from testicular cancer.

The tribunal finding that Mike Ashley had ordered John Carver not to play Jonas Gutierrez in too many games, so the cancer sufferer wouldn’t trigger an automatic contract extension.

Not only has Jonas Gutierrez had cancer to deal with but at the age of 35 he suffered a horrific injury in 2018, a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee when playing for Defensa Y Justicia. Many thought he would retire.

However, the former NUFC star fought back and got fully fit, moved on to Banfield and unbelievably suffered the exact same injury but to his other (right) knee in 2019, aged 36. Once again, many thought he would retire, only for Jonas to get fully fit again and play.

To have come through so much and still bounce back, to still enjoy his football as he moved past his 38th birthday, what a player and what a man Jonas Gutierrez is.

A total professional and somebody who just loves playing football, the former Argentine international giving so much back to club football in his home country – the former NUFC star currently at his fourth club in Argentina (via Deportivo La Coruna) since leaving St James Park – Independiente, Defensa y Justicia, Banfield and now Almagro.

Good luck Jonas in your final game tonight and then whatever you do post-playing, hopefully we can now see him back at St James Park as a very special guest soon, now that Mike Ashley is no longer a factor.

Jonas Gutierrez speaking after his last ever NUFC match, Newcastle 2 West Ham 0 back on 24 May 2015:

“Since I arrived at Newcastle the fans were fantastic with me and the team.

“To be honest, they (the fans) don’t deserve to have this problem, this situation, Newcastle is bigger than this.

“You have to look forward, this club has to look forward, the top ten and not looking at the bottom.

“To be honest, a few months ago I didn’t know if I was going to play football again and now I am back, I’m playing football, I have a second chance in my life.

“I am really proud to be a Geordie and it was fantastic to be here today.”

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