Dan Burn was just a kid the last time Newcastle United were in the Champions League but the Blyth-born defender can still remember one key moment.
This season Newcastle make their long-awaited return to the Champions League after a 20 year hiatus and one man who is living his childhood dream is Big Dan Burn.
A Newcastle supporter through and through, Burn grew up watching the Magpies and now gets the chance to represent his boyhood club in Europe’s elite competition two decades after watching an unlikely hero.
Dan Burn wants to be an inspiration to kids in the Newcastle area
Speaking to BBC’s Football Focus, Dan Burn shared his favourite Champions League moment, saying: “Seeing Andy Griffin score past Juventus was something that will live with me forever. It’s just nice that now we’ve got that opportunity to inspire the new generation of kids in the area and want them to do what we’ve done.”
The moment in question was when Newcastle full-back Andy Griffin jinked his way through the Juventus defence firing a cross-cum-shot that ricocheted under the body of Gianluigi Buffon and squirmed into the net. It was the goal that gave Newcastle a 1-0 lead over the Italian giants and the only goal of the game.
As a full-back these days, Burn will no doubt be hoping to replicate Griffin’s feat by bagging a goal in the Champions League for his boyhood club.
Burn is looking forward to singing the Champions League anthem
Newcastle will learn their group opponents at the end of the month with Geordies hoping to pick up some nice stamps on their passport, possibly a trip to Italy – preferably Milan to sing that famous song of ours?
Wherever we end up playing it will not matter to the fans or the players. Burn is just excited by the prospect of playing in the competition, later in the interview Burn admitted that when the teams line up on the night and hear that famous anthem, he will be singing along in a high-pitched voice and will likely do it as the camera passes by.
We’d expect nothing less than some form of show from Burn, especially after that Fortnite dance last season.
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