Newcastle United’s Matt Ritchie received a special award from the Premier League yesterday, marking his 100th appearance in the top-flight.
Although the midfielder is probably very proud of his achievement, a photo capturing the moment has suggested otherwise, and it’s left Newcastle fans in hysterics.
Since the 2017/18 season, Premier League Milestones have been awarded to players who have reached 100, 200 and 300 appearances in the PL.
Every player who achieves such a milestone is presented with a medallion and a plaque by the league to commemorate their achievement.
Ritchie achieved his 100th appearance last month in Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Burnley, his 64th PL appearance for the Toon.
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The award itself has received a fair few quips over it’s bizarre chocolate box design, thanks to it’s Cadbury’s sponsorship.
However fans mostly picked up on Ritchie’s emotionless expression, and it didn’t take long till they were poking fun at the midfielder!
Newcastle fans react to Ritchie photo
https://twitter.com/IanRickyD/status/1111042555603505152?s=20
Although he’s not smiling, you can bet Ritchie will be proud to have made 100 PL appearances.
Ritchie made his first two PL appearances for Portsmouth in 2010, but he had to wait five years to return to the top-flight.
He spent three years in League’s One and Two with Swindon Town before joining Bournemouth in 2013.
Under Eddie Howe, he played 37 PL matches for Bournemouth in 2015/2016 before transferring to Newcastle United that summer.
He now has 118 matches for the Toon, with almost half coming in the Premier League.
His 100 PL appearances make him part of an elite club, and hopefully there is many more to come.
Congratulations Matt Ritchie!
