Newcastle United may have expected a star to arrive when Stephane Guivarc’h agreed a move to St James’ Park.
The 2026 World Cup is just around the corner, and Newcastle United players are in qualifying action in the coming days.
The likes of Dan Burn, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga and Nick Woltemade all have dreams of playing at the World Cup next summer.
Newcastle may also scout next summer’s tournament in the hope of finding a gem, but some fans may be scarred by Stephane Guivarc’h.
Stephane Guivarc’h won the World Cup after signing for Newcastle United
Signing players off the back of impressing at a major tournament is fraught with risk.
It’s very easy for a player to enjoy a purple patch of form and never hit those heights again after securing a transfer.
Newcastle pounced to sign striker Stephane Guivarc’h from Auxerre in 1998, just one day after France’s 4-0 World Cup win over Saudi Arabia.
Guivarc’h started France’s win over South Africa, but he was substituted after just 29 minutes and missed out against Saudi Arabia.
Newcastle had still seen enough, though, after Guivarc’h emerged as a goal machine for Guingamp, Auxerre and Rennes.
Guivarc’h reclaimed his place in the France side after substitute appearances against Denmark and Paraguay, and cemented himself as the starting striker under Aime Jacquet.
Guivarc’h won the World Cup as he partnered Youri Djorkaeff in attack, helping France beat Brazil 3-0 in the final.
The striker managed to go through the whole tournament without scoring, but his record in France left Newcastle hopeful of success on Tyneside.
Stephane Guivarc’h became a Newcastle United flop
It all started so well for Guivarc’h on a personal level.
Guivarc’h scored on his debut against Liverpool as Newcastle suffered a 4-1 defeat.
That was as good as it got, though, as Kenny Dalglish was replaced by Ruud Gullit and Guivarc’h found himself on the fringes.
Come November – less than five months after his arrival – Guivarc’h was sold on to Rangers as his dismal Newcastle spell came to an end.
Guivarc’h went from winning the World Cup to playing just four times for Newcastle in rapid fashion and didn’t even last six months at St James’ Park.
Sadly, Guivarc’h will go down as one of Newcastle’s biggest-ever flops, and will be a cautionary tale in terms of shopping for World Cup players.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
