Joelinton may have kickstarted his Newcastle United career on Saturday.
It was the dawning of a new era at St James’ Park, in more ways than one.
The game against Brentford was the first of Eddie Howe’s tenure, the man picked by the new owners to replace Steve Bruce.
And it was also a chance for some players to re-launch their Newcastle careers after times of struggle.
RONALDO NEEDS TO STOP WHINING.
And one player who certainly took his opportunity was Joelinton. The Brazilian was praised by Howe in the build-up to the game, and started on the right of a front three.
The 25-year-old put in his best performance yet for Newcastle, continuing his renaissance out wide. We saw flicks and tricks, fantastic strength and an ability to make things happen in the final third.
Joelinton even got his first goal of the season, netting the Magpies’ second.
New angle of Joelinton goal puts spotlight on wild celebrations
The club have released a video of Joelinton’s goal from a camera placed at the Leazes End.
While the goal was celebrated wildly in the stands, this clip shows how much it meant to Joelinton.
The forward celebrates right in front of the camera, and you can see the emotion just oozing out of him.
This was a big moment for Joelinton. He’s really struggled at Newcastle. The goals haven’t flowed.
But this was the first time he’s found the net in the Premier League in front of a packed out St James’ Park. It was a wonderful finish too, reacting quickly to Saint-Maximin’s deflected shot and rifling a left-footed strike into the bottom corner.
It was a brilliant afternoon for Joelinton, but it could have been even better. The £40million man had a chance to win it late on, only to slip at the vital moment.
But that shouldn’t take away from a great performance by Joelinton. And hopefully there’s more to come from him under Howe.