The Spanish professional footballer we all know and love called Ayoze Perez is leaving Newcastle United. This bit of news came as a surprise, as he played for the club for about five years and people were of the opinion that he would be one of the key factors in raising the status of the club. This news was as disappointing to the football fans as the news that athletes were less present in the world of athletics which you can read more about here. The loyalty that was assumed to play a role in Perez’s decision can be compared to sticking to one casino for several years, before abandoning it in favor of an NJ bonus. Let us explain.
Ayoze Perez was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and it is only natural that Tenerife was his first club. He started off playing in the Tenerife B-team in 2011 but impressed the club so much that his promotion to the first team came but a couple of years later. He played his first match in 2013, whereas in 2014 he scored the first hat trick of his career. All in all, a very promising player, indeed.
2014 was the year he said goodbye to his first team and moved on to bigger things. Many clubs expressed their interest in signing him on, including Barcelona and Real Madrid. He instead opted for Newcastle United and his first goal was scored against the Spurs the same year. The 25-year-old forward had achieved significant success during his time in the club. Because of this, some of his fans were disappointed when he signed a contract with Leicester City in 2019.
The reason Perez is leaving Newcastle for Leicester is not 100% clear, though the player has been quoted as saying that he would ‘like to aspire to do great things’. Interestingly enough, the player that said no to Real Madrid, Porto, and Barcelona has expressed the desire to play in La Liga one day, though he feels like this is the best move for his career at this particular moment.
The price paid to have him on the team is said to be in the vicinity of 30 million euro. One of the factors that allegedly contributed to the difficult decision Perez made could be the leaving of Rafael Benítez Maudes, the manager that decided to seek his fortune in the Chinese club Dalian Yifang. It is because of this that Perez feels this is as far as Newcastle United will go for now.
The player expressed his gratitude to Newcastle for the opportunity they gave him when he was not yet a professional, by his standards. The club will always be in his heart and it is the reason he is the footballer and the person he is today. The five years spent at United were the best of his life up to this point and he has nothing but words of praise and gratitude for the team.
