Newcastle United’s side in the 2016-17 season was nothing short of special.
The Magpies had a first-team squad of absolute world-beaters under Rafa Benitez back in the 16/17 Championship campaign.
The likes of Florian Thauvin, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Perez are just a few names to feature, who have all gone on to be huge successes away from St James’ Park.
But one player who was vital to the Magpie’s promotion has had a rather strange career trajectory. He now plays in the second tier of Saudi football and has a completely new nationality.
Vurnon Anita was vital to Newcastle United’s 2017 Premier League promotion
Vurnon Anita. That’s a blast from the past for Newcastle fans.
Anita played mostly at right-back during the 2016–17 season and played 31 games in all competitions.
He was a vital part of the Geordies side, filling in wherever needed during his time on Tyneside. This saw Anita win the Championship title and, more importantly, gain promotion to the Premier League.
However, just months later on the 9th of June 2017, Anita left Newcastle when his contract expired at the end of the season.
Vurnon Anita and his Newcastle career
Anita was a tremendous servant to the club, having spent five years with Newcastle. After spending six years at Ajax after coming through the academy system, Anita made the switch in 2021 to England.
Ajax had rejected Newcastle’s first bid, but the clubs eventually agreed to a second offer of around £6.7 million. He took the number eight jersey.
Anita made his debut on the opening day of the Premier League season on 18th August 2012, replacing Yohan Cabaye in a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
He scored his first league goal for Newcastle on 1 March 2014 in a 4–1 win against Hull City, a match which also saw Alan Pardew infamously headbutt David Meyler.
But it was under a new Newcastle manager in Steve McClaren that the midfielder would thrive. He became a regular in 2015, playing 28 games despite a bad injury in the campaign where Newcastle were unfortunately relegated.
He then had his final Championship winning season with the club and was sent on his merry way. So what has happened to him since?
What happened to Vurnon Anita?
After leaving Newcastle, Anita stayed in England, signing with Leeds United on a three-year contract. He had a good first season, becoming a useful squad player for the Lilywhites.
However, it soon turned sour at Elland Road. Anita was not given a shirt number for Leeds for the upcoming 2018–19 season. He then spent a year at Willem II in the Eredivisie on loan. Then, on the 2nd of September 2019, his contract with Leeds was terminated by mutual consent.
His next venture was Bulgaria, which was a disaster. He joined CSKA Sofia in 2020 but only made two league and one cup appearances for the team before Covid struck. He then cancelled his contract.
Anita then made his best decision yet post-Newcastle. On the 31st of August 2020, Anita joined the Dutch club RKC Waalwijk for free. The ex-Geordie spent three years here, amassing nearly 100 appearances.
Whilst in Holland, his home country, Anita formally filed a one-time switch in 2021 to play for the Curaçao national team.
He had not appeared for the Netherlands in a competitive senior international football match, which meant the veteran could now pledge allegiance to a new nation.
He debuted for Curaçao in a 5–0 2022 World Cup qualification win over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021, and still plays to this day.
June 2023 saw the now 34-year-old join Al-Orabah, who play their stuff in the second tier of Saudi football. He remains there to this day, currently having played 25 games this season, scoring twice and assisting twice.
Not quite a Newcastle United legend, but a cult hero. We wish Anita all the best with whatever he does in his career!
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