Keeping an eye on what players get up to once they’ve retired is always an interesting activity but what have 10 Newcastle United legends been getting up to? Most go down the popular route of either punditry or coaching/management.
But there are some standouts that take an entirely different and unpredictable path in different industries and even different sports.
Our question is regarding Newcastle United legends, and what they’ve been up to since hanging up their boots. And, as you’ll see below, we’ve answered that question for a select few, with some going on to have a lot of success in their chosen roles in retirement.
With that said, if you’ve ever wondered what the likes of Nolberto Solano are up to nowadays, then see our list below, as we found out what 10 Newcastle legends have been up to, via Premier League Heroes.
10) Shay Given
After hanging up his gloves, Shay Given completed his goalkeeper coaching license, and became the head goalkeeper coach at Derby County, before becoming a first-team coach under Wayne Rooney.
Away from football, he set up his own charity, ‘Care Given’ which raised money to supply PPE equipment for frontline workers during the pandemic. He has also tried his hand at punditry for Sky Sports.
Given often analyses games involving his old club, particularly now they are flying under the management of Eddie Howe.
The ex-goalkeeper is also a noted fan of the club and can be seen at St James' Park cheering his side on.
9) Kieron Dyer
Kieron Dyer has been an interesting one to look at since retirement.
He has tried his hand at coaching at Ipswich Town as part of their U16s set-up, before working as an U18s coach. The main role he has taken up is that on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2015, in which he finished a very respectable fourth place, before he medically withdrew from SAS: Who Dares Wins due to a collapsed lung.
Dyer then had to undergo a liver transplant, and has been recovering ever since.
It remains to be seen if he will attempt to find his way back into a coaching role.
8) Jermaine Jenas
It feels like Jermaine Jenas has done it all since retiring from football, working as a pundit on Match of the Day, BT Sport, ITV, and as a host on BBC’s One Show.
His work has been impressive enough that many have backed the former Newcastle man to go on and become Gary Lineker’s replacement as the host of Match of the Day.
Indeed, Jenas was heavily featured by the BBC during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as he was repeatedly seen analysing England games and other heavyweight clashes.
He is clearly highly thought of in punditry circles.
7) David Ginola
Like Dyer, the biggest role that David Ginola has taken up since retirement is on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2021, in which, again like Dyer, he finished fourth.
The Frenchman would have been grateful to have made the show for many reasons, especially after nearly losing his life in 2016, when he swallowed his tongue after suffering a cardiac arrest in a charity match.
Ginola was lucky to survive after having to undergo quadruple heart bypass surgery.
Now, he is seen taking it a bit more easy after his recovery from the near-death experience.
6) David Batty
Since retirement, David Batty has been one of the quietest Premier League players, keeping a low profile as a family man, rather than going down the punditry or coaching route.
He was, however, seen in 2006 on ‘The Match’ - a charity game by Sky Sports, as well as on a promotional video for Leeds United season tickets.
Batty, of course, also played for England during his career and it seems that he mainly wants to keep his head down and enjoy his time away from the game.
To us, that seems more than fair enough.
5) Jonathan Woodgate
Going down the coaching and management route, Jonathan Woodgate has taken charge of Middlesbrough, and AFC Bournemouth, whilst also initially working as a scout in Spain and Portugal for Liverpool when he first retired.
As of right now, Woodgate is the first-team coach at Boro under the management of Michael Carrick.
He has clearly been highly thought of at the north-east club, and he remains a favourable figure at Newcastle and at Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored the winner in the 2008 League Cup final.
He's less highly thought of at Real Madrid.
4) Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley has had quite the controversial career in retirement, taking up coaching roles at Newcastle, before working in marketing and PR roles at St James’ Park.
It was during his time in charge of the club’s U21s when things took a turn for the worse, however, as Beardsley was accused of racism and bullying, before being charged on three counts by the FA for using racist language.
Since then, he has naturally been keeping a low profile and is rarely seen on television or at the stadium.
Again, that seems fair enough.
3) Craig Bellamy
Craig Bellamy is one of many players to have gone down the coaching route, taking up a role in Cardiff City’s youth academy, before also becoming the club’s player development manager, and then head coach of the U18s side.
After leaving the Welsh club amid accusations of bullying against him, Bellamy found himself at Anderlecht as the U21s manager, before most-recently joining Vincent Kompany at Burnley as the assistant manager.
He is clearly trying to cultivate an impressive CV, potentially to make the move to a bigger club down the line.
Bellamy may well have his sights set on a role at Newcastle.
2) Andy Cole
One of the most clinical goal scorers in Premier League history, Andy Cole attempted to translate his prowess in front of goal onto those at Manchester United and Huddersfield Town as a forward coach.
He certainly hasn’t had it easy in retirement, though, as he suffered kidney failure in 2015, before having a kidney transplant in 2017.
The former striker has since coached at Macclesfield Town and Southend United, before becoming a pundit.
He is one of those players who is often seen at stadiums watching on.
1) Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer is one of few players to have an untouchable legacy at a club even after taking them down as the interim manager in a disastrous spell in 2009.
Since then, he has not returned to management. Instead, he has taken up punditry roles with the BBC on Match of the Day as well as for international tournaments and domestic competitions.
He is a fixture for the BBC, regularly appearing on any games that are aired on terrestrial television.
Shearer and Gary Lineker are, after all, one of the more iconic duos when it comes to watching football on the box.
So, there you have it, our list of what 10 Newcastle United legends have been up to since retirement. Did anything surprise you? Or did you expect certain players to go down the paths that they have? Let us know in the comments.
What we’re looking forward to is seeing what the current crop of Newcastle players choose to do in retirement. Could we see Allan Saint-Maximin on ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ one day, following in the footsteps of Dyer and Ginola? Or could we see Callum Wilson on punditry duty? Better yet, Jonjo Shelvey in the technical area?