This Newcastle icon opened up about how he felt betrayed by the club over a failed move
Chris Burns Senior Sports Writer
04:30, 18 Mar 2026
David Ginola claimed Newcastle blocked his dream move to Spain(Image: getty)
David Ginola claimed Newcastle ‘stabbed him in the back’ after they denied him a dream move to Barcelona. The Magpies will face the Spanish giants in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, with the tie poised at 1-1.
Ginola joined Newcastle for £2.5million from Paris Saint-Germain in 1995. Under Kevin Keegan, the Frenchman enjoyed a successful inaugural season in the English top-flight.
His performances forced then-Barcelona boss Sir Bobby Robson to sit up and take notice. The former England manager made it clear he wanted to bring Ginola to Spain just a year after he had signed for Newcastle.
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However, Keegan dug his heels in and refused him a move, leaving the French winger seething. His anger was exacerbated when the manager himself surprisingly departed Newcastle in January 1997, with Ginola falling out with Keegan’s replacement, Sir Kenny Dalglish.
“I was back in the south of France on holiday, sad because we lost the title, but not expecting anything else,” Ginola told The Athletic in 2020.
“When the phone rang, and it was Sir Bobby, saying he wanted me, that they were going to make an offer. They started at £6m and went up to £12m, until Keegan called me and said it didn’t matter how much they bid, Newcastle wouldn’t let me go.
David Ginola was an instant hit at Newcastle United(Image: 2017 Getty Images)
“I said to him, ‘You have to. This is my last chance to play for Barcelona — a club which will be winning trophies every year.’ It was no disrespect to Newcastle, but a career is so short. When it didn’t happen again, I had to go back. And then when Keegan left us that January, he left me, too. I felt stabbed in the back.”
Ginola’s brief brush with Barcelona was the second occasion the Spaniards had attempted to lure him to the Camp Nou. The French international led PSG to the top-flight title in the 1993-94 season, winning the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award in the process.
The silky winger revealed that he was set to join the Blaugrana until his move stalled, opening the door for Newcastle. However, not before Premier League rivals Arsenal tried their luck too.
Ginola said: “I was invited by Johan Cruyff, Barcelona’s manager, to a golf tournament in Tarragona, Spain, and he told me he wanted to sign me.
“Cruyff was my idol. His was the only poster I had on my bedroom wall as a kid. He was sitting opposite me saying, ‘You remind me of me, when I was playing.’
David Ginola joined Spurs instead of Barcelona in July 1997(Image: 2017 Getty Images)
“That was one of the biggest compliments of my career, because he meant so much to me. The decision was made, it was done, my life was there [with Barcelona].
“I waited and waited until mid-July, when I received a call saying he couldn’t get rid of the other players, and so he couldn’t sign me. It was a really big disappointment. That was when I was contacted by Terry McDermott, Keegan’s assistant at Newcastle, saying they wanted me.
“I didn’t know anything about the club, but I said, ‘OK, I’ll come.’ That same night, David Dein rang me to try to sign me for Arsenal, but it was too late, I’d given my word.”
Ginola left Newcastle for Tottenham in July 1997 for £2.5m. In 1999, he was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year, as he helped Spurs to the League Cup. He would go on to represent Aston Villa and Everton before retiring in 2002.