{"id":251179,"date":"2025-11-08T12:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T12:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/251179\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T12:02:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T12:02:09","slug":"newcastle-always-has-a-special-place-in-my-heart-i-felt-loved-at-st-james-park-despite-one-regret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/251179\/","title":{"rendered":"Newcastle always has a special place in my heart &#8211; I felt loved at St James&#8217; Park despite one regret"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former Newcastle United forward Aleksandar Mitrovic has opened up about his time on Tyneside<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_GettyImages-516676158.jpg\" alt=\"Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates scoring for Newcastle against Sunderland\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates scoring for Newcastle against Sunderland(Image: 2016 Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">Aleksandar Mitrovic has admitted Newcastle has always had a special place in his heart as he reflected on his time at the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chroniclelive.co.uk\/all-about\/aleksandar-mitrovic\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Mitrovic<\/a> signed for <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chroniclelive.co.uk\/all-about\/newcastle-united-fc\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Newcastle<\/a> from Anderlecht in the summer of 2015 and quickly became a fan favourite at St James&#8217; Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">His robust, passionate playing style often saw him playing on the edge but he was a player fans felt they could relate with and it didn&#8217;t take long for the Serbia international to become popular on the terraces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">Mitrovic spent three years on Tyneside, scoring 17 goals in 72 appearances, before joining Fulham, where he went on to become a consistent goalscorer across spells in the Premier League and the Championship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">And in a heartfelt interview, he has revealed how much he still cares for both clubs but admitted he felt things didn&#8217;t go exactly as he had planned during his time at Newcastle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;I didn&#8217;t feel any pressure around that,&#8221; Mitrovic, who now plays for Qatari side Al-Rayyan, told <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me\/L0\/https:%2F%2Fwww.flashscore.com%2F\/1\/0100019a53dbc9e0-365386d4-9f7e-4e41-bb16-fe945489475d-000000\/thag1wdhr0-KIwt-uitnEYWsF9M=451\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"[object Object]Link opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Flashscore.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;It was nice, Newcastle is a club I&#8217;ve always really liked. It has had a special place in my heart since I started following football. Maybe because of the colour of the shirt, because the team I support in Serbia also play in black and white. When I got to Newcastle, I understood that for the people there, football is almost like a religion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;They live for football. It was my first love in football, though I went there a little bit young and inexperienced. I was 20, 21 years old and playing the best league in the world; I didn&#8217;t have a lot of time to adapt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;Maybe it didn&#8217;t go exactly as I planned, but we still created some great memories and connections with the fans. I still have a lot of friends there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">Mitrovic suffered relegation with Newcastle in his first season on Tyneside but stayed with the club as they won promotion back to the Premier League the following season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">He experienced the same thing at Fulham, too, and now both teams are thriving in the Premier League, and in Europe in Newcastle&#8217;s case, and Mitrovic is glad to see both clubs doing well from afar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;To be honest, when you get relegated, you feel kind of guilty,&#8221; Mitrovic added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;Doesn&#8217;t matter how much you play; you&#8217;re a part of the squad that got relegated. I always wanted to make it right and bring Newcastle and then Fulham back. Both these clubs are amazing, and I think they should compete in Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;I&#8217;m glad they&#8217;re doing well now. Newcastle has had a few really good seasons, reached the Champions League, and Fulham wasn&#8217;t far away from European places either, and I hope in the future they will get there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\" publication=\"nechronicle\">&#8220;You can see I love both clubs, and still follow and support them. So at the times of the relegations, I didn&#8217;t want to leave them because I felt good and loved there, even at times when we were in the second division, I felt the fans wanted me to stay.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_GettyImages-2237891650.jpg\" alt=\"\"  \/>Newcastle United news straight to your phone on WhatsApp<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Newcastle United&#8217;s huge 2025-26 season is well under way and we&#8217;ll be with them every step of the way. 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