Arriving from RC Lens at a young age, Mehdi Abeid’s time at Newcastle was one of ups and downs, with the midfielder now plying his trade with Nantes in Ligue 1.
Sitting down with Ouest-France, who wanted to know more about their local club’s summer arrival (from Dijon on a free transfer), the 27-year-old happily discussed his time at St James’ Park, one he seemingly fondly looks back on even if the beginnings weren’t smooth sailing.
He said: “I lived by myself. I had my apartment outside the town. It was tough to start with. After a while, my brother joined me. I was used to washing my own boots in France, and I turn up at Newcastle wanting to clean my shoes as usual. That’s when a guy called George, who I loved, told me: ‘Let me do my work!’. He was mostly in charge of cleaning the boots.
“We’d take our breakfasts and lunches at the training centre. In the evenings, they would give you dinners in small trays. The club’s cook could also come to yours if you wanted. You’d arrive just under two hours before a game, you drive into the stadium with your car. You leave it. An employee goes to park it and brings it back after the game”.
All these things were details the player wasn’t used to back in France, yet they are the mark of how far a professional club will go for their players.
Outside of football, Abeid was also full of praise for Newcastle as a town, which he recommends if you want to go out and have fun, even if the food wasn’t always the best.
As for the supporters, he had nothing but kind words for them.
He explained: “I loved living in Newcastle, with welcoming people, fans that clap you even in difficult times. It left a mark. In this town, people live for their club. In England, it’s football and nothing else, except cricket, maybe… It’s a passion that is transmitted from father to son. In the stadium, you sometimes see tears running down the cheeks of kids. It’s beautiful. It’s their culture”.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and the Newcastle dream, after a loan to St Johnstone in Scotland, was cut short by Alan Pardew, who told Abeid he ‘didn’t count on him’ going forward.
At that point, a loan to Panathinaikos was sorted, which eventually led to a permanent move there in 2015-16.
Then came a return to France with Dijon, where he signed a three-year contract that he ran down to sign for Nantes this summer.
A good career, and one that isn’t over yet, driven on by memories of Premier League football and the hope that, maybe one day, he could return to the ‘club of his heart’: Newcastle.
