MX23RW : Friday, November 1 01:24:27| >> :120:11527:11527:

On This Day: Jonas Gutierrez reveals he has cancer

Jonas Gutierrez scored against West Ham in his final game for the Magpies.

Jonas Gutierrez admitted he "went home in tears" upon discovering he had been diagnosed with cancer, with the then Newcastle winger inundated with messages of support after revealing the news on this day six years ago.

Gutierrez was a firm fans' favourite after staying on Tyneside despite Newcastle's relegation to the Championship in 2009, helping them immediately bounce back to the Premier League the following season.

He was integral in their fifth-place finish in 2012 but the following year, for reasons that were at the time unknown to the public, Gutierrez returned to his native Argentina for surgery after his cancer discovery.

After returning to the north-east, he found opportunities limited so spent the second half of the 2013-14 campaign at Norwich, reuniting with former Newcastle boss Chris Hughton.

In the summer of 2014, Gutierrez revealed his struggles of the preceding few months in an interview with Argentinian TV show Indirecto on TyC Sports.

He said: "When I was told I had cancer, I went home in tears. I came here and I assumed the costs despite having a contract with Newcastle. Money is not important. What is important is my health. I had to start chemotherapy.

"This is the most difficult match I've ever played. You start thinking about important things when you have problems like this one.

"I decided to reveal all this because I think this is a difficult moment, but there is nothing wrong with this. These things may help other people."

Jonas Gutierrez's goal in his last Newcastle appearance helped the club retain their Premier League place (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Jonas Gutierrez's goal in his last Newcastle appearance helped the club retain their Premier League place (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Gutierrez added that Newcastle team-mate Fabricio Coloccini and the pair's Argentinian compatriots Gabriel Heinze, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Martin Demichelis were helpful in his recovery.

Ex-Newcastle team-mates Joey Barton, Peter Lovenkrands and Steve Harper all tweeted their support while in honour of Gutierrez, applause broke out at several Magpies games in the 18th minute – the player's shirt number.

He made his first Newcastle appearance in 17 months as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in March 2015, receiving a thunderous reception at St James' Park as he accepted the captain's armband from Coloccini.

A couple of months later, Gutierrez fittingly scored the goal in a 2-0 win against West Ham which guaranteed Newcastle's top-flight survival although it would prove to be his last appearance in a black and white shirt as he was released over the summer.

ID:414640: cacheID:414640:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5831:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce pictured during his side's match at West Ham United on September 12, 2020
Read Next:
Steve Bruce admits Newcastle were lucky to beat Blackburn in EFL Cup
>
Read more about Jonas Gutierrez Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
12.15am
Texans
@
Jets
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City97202091123
2Liverpool97111751222
3Arsenal95311710718
4Aston Villa95311611518
5Chelsea95221911817
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton94411612416
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest9441117416
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs94141810813
9Brentford94141818013
10Fulham93331212012
11Bournemouth93331111012
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle9333910-112
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham93241316-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd9324811-311
15Leicester CityLeicester92341317-49
16Everton92341016-69
17Crystal Palace9135611-56
18Ipswich TownIpswich9045920-114
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves90271225-132
20Southampton9018619-131


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!