A few years before Newcastle United became the most talked about club in the world following the takeover from PIF, they had a man named Yohan Cabaye in their squad.
The Frenchman, who is still remembered fondly at St James’ Park, spent two years in the black and white shirt, during which he made 93 appearances, scored 18 goals and assisted 14 times.
However, in January of 2014, Paris Saint-Germain came knocking, and the opportunity to make money presented itself.
Selling him for £22.5m, Newcastle made a tidy profit on a player they bought for £4.5m, and that’s all Mike Ashley cared about at the time.
That being said, it’s a move the player also wanted to make, which he explained in a lengthy interview with France Bleu.
That’s despite the fact that it was going really, really well for me in England and at Newcastle, where I was very happy. I just wanted to go up a step, and playing for Paris Saint-Germain really represented a step forward in my career. And I really wanted to be able to live the intense moments I lived for a year and a half”.
That’s how long he stayed at the Parc des Princes, struggling to fully establish himself in the ever growing Ligue 1 side, and a return to England, with Crystal Palace, saved him.
He then stayed there for three years before leaving for Al-Nasr in the United Arab Emirates for six months.
A spell without a club followed, as well as a year with Saint-Etienne, but Cabaye decided to call it a day on February 19th 2021, retiring from football altogether.
