The Geordie Jude Bellingham? Newcastle United record-breaker Lewis Miley draws comparisons to England and Real Madrid sensation

Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon celebrates after Miguel Almiron scores their second goal during their Premier League match against Fulham at St. James Park, Newcastle, on Dec. 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 17 December 2023
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The Geordie Jude Bellingham? Newcastle United record-breaker Lewis Miley draws comparisons to England and Real Madrid sensation

  • Miley, thrust into the action as a first-half substitute after Fabian Schar and Joelinton joined Newcastle’s lengthy injury list
  • Newcastle ended a run of three straight defeats in all competitions and jumped to sixth place

NEWCASTLE: Seventeen years, 229 days. One week, two records. Lewis Miley, remember the name.

While English football waxes lyrical over the talents of Jude Bellingham, Newcastle United might well be witnessing the emergence of the next great generational midfield talent. LM67, anyone?

Just days after becoming the youngest Premier League player to grab an assist in the Champions League, breaking Theo Walcott’s long-standing record, Miley became Newcastle United’s youngster Premier League scorer. And he did so with a shrug of the shoulders, such is the youngster’s relaxed, laid-back approach.

Miley, along with experienced campaigner Bruno Guimaraes, both of whom are on Real Madrid’s radar, turned the screw on Fulham in the Premier League, as the Magpies ended a three-game losing streak to get their top-flight campaign back on track.

Goals from Miley, his first for the club, Miguel Almiron and Dan Burn ensured Newcastle put the 10-man Cottagers to the sword. They had lost Raul Jimenez — sent off for a reckless challenge on Sean Longstaff in the first half.

And Howe believes Miley has the all the hallmarks of a black-and-white great.

“He’s emotionless — and I mean that as the biggest compliment I can,” said Howe of his rising star.

“In a difficult moment, he’s not beating himself up, he’s not frustrated, he’s just very calm and in a positive moment, like scoring the goal today, he doesn’t let that go to his head and negatively affect his performance.

“He just carries on doing the right thing most of the time, and that’s the hallmark of a great player in my eyes.

“I’m delighted for him. With Lewie, I go back to the two most memorable moments, for me, at the start of his Newcastle career. One was the assist against Chelsea, where he’s had the composure to find Alex and a really big goal for us at the time; and then the assist in the Champions League for Joelinton in midweek, where again he’s made another incredible decision.

“But today was his moment, put in by Bruno’s brilliant run, and did he have the composure in front of the Gallowgate to score a massive goal in our season, and he did and I’m delighted for him.

“We tried to manage his minutes today and give him a little rest, but it didn’t turn out that way.”

Miley is possibly the best of a growing crop of Geordie midfielders at the club. The teenager follows on from the breakthrough of Elliot Anderson and Longstaff.

And Howe thinks the youngster can learn lessons from his older teammates, who have walked the same path from academy to first-team.

“I think Lewis has got goals in him. I don’t necessarily think it’s his most obvious asset — I think his technical delivery and decision-making on the ball, for somebody so young, is of an incredibly high level. But he gets in the box continually, and he’s a decent-enough finisher. I thought he took his goal really well, and hopefully that’s the first of many for him.

“I think the comparison between Sean and Lewis is a very good one. Sean is doing really, really well now after a slightly difficult time for him. Sean has become such a pivotal player for us, and what I love about him is that he’s Newcastle through and through. He lives and breathes everything to do with Newcastle. He’s still involved in the academy, he still goes back to watch games, and he’s never forgotten where he’s come from and how he’s got to where he’s got to. He’s very thankful for everyone’s support in his journey. I think they’re great characteristics for Louie to retain as well, and I’m sure Louie will do that with the family he has behind him.”

On a day of positives, there was one element of the win that took the shine off, somewhat.

With injuries biting hard, and key players such as Alexander Isak on the treatment table, the last thing the Magpies could do with is yet more. However, both Joelinton and Fabian Schar limped off.

Howe said: “Obviously that is the negative. We don’t think they’re serious, but certainly to come off the pitch, they’re short-term problems for us that we can’t navigate easily at the moment.

“We were thinking that possibly we were through the worst of our injury situation. Now it’s reared its head again in a negative way, so let’s just see where we are tomorrow.”


Salah and Mane meet again with AFCON final place on the line

Updated 56 min 29 sec ago
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Salah and Mane meet again with AFCON final place on the line

  • Salah, who turns 34 in June, is running out of time to win a major international honor with his country
  • Mane, who also turns 34 this year, will feel less pressure having already collected a Cup of Nations winner’s medal

RABAT: Three years after they last appeared together, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah meet again on Wednesday on opposing sides as Senegal and Egypt clash for a place in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
The last-four showdown in the Moroccan city of Tangiers will be the first time the former Liverpool teammates have shared a pitch since the Anfield club lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in May 2022.
Shortly after that, Mane left for Bayern Munich before moving to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League a year later.
Salah, meanwhile, has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the near future but remains for now at Liverpool despite falling out of favor with coach Arne Slot before coming to the Cup of Nations.


The Egypt captain is a man on a mission in Morocco, having scored four goals in four appearances on the Pharaoh’s run to the semifinals as he targets winning AFCON for the first time.
Salah, who turns 34 in June, is running out of time to win a major international honor with his country having suffered the agony of two final defeats in the competition.
After being part of the Egypt side beaten by Cameroon in the 2017 final in Gabon, Salah skippered the team beaten on penalties by Senegal in 2022 in Yaounde.
Mane had a penalty saved in normal time on that dramatic night at the Olembe Stadium, but recovered to score the decisive kick in the shoot-out as Senegal became African champions for the first time.
Salah was due to take Egypt’s next penalty but would not get the chance to step up and was already on the verge of tears as Mane prepared to strike the decisive blow.
Less than two months later, the teams met again in a decisive World Cup qualifying play-off and once more penalties were needed — Salah missed, Mane scored and Senegal won.
They went on to reach the last 16 in Qatar while Egypt failed to qualify for the first World Cup held in the Arab world.
Both have qualified for the upcoming tournament in North America, providing what will perhaps be a last chance for the two veterans to star on the biggest stage of all.

- Feeling the pressure -

For now, however, it is all about continental supremacy as Senegal chase a third final in four editions of AFCON, and Egypt aim to take a step closer to a record-extending eighth title overall.
Mane, who also turns 34 this year, will feel less pressure having already collected a Cup of Nations winner’s medal.
“Nobody, even in Egypt, wants to win this trophy more than me,” admitted Salah after helping his team beat Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals.
“I have won almost every prize. This is the title I am waiting for.”
The pair played together under Jurgen Klopp for five years between Salah arriving from Roma in 2017 and Mane’s departure.


They formed a formidable front line along with Roberto Firmino and together won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020 — there were also two defeats to Real in Champions League finals.
But Mane recently admitted that sometimes the pair found it difficult to get along on the pitch.
“I think Mo is first of all a very nice guy. I think though inside the pitch, sometimes he would pass to me and sometimes he wouldn’t,” Mane said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
“Only Bobby (Firmino) was there to share the balls. Sometimes it was like this,” he added with a laugh.
“I still remember one game when I was really, really angry because he doesn’t pass me the ball.”
This time they really are on opposing sides, as two former African footballers of the year look to lead their countries to glory — for the second time, in Mane’s case.
“The pressure for me is over. Before I won the African Cup, sometimes I played badly because of the pressure,” Mane, who has one goal at this AFCON, admitted on the same podcast.
“All that on your shoulders is not easy,” he added, and Salah is well aware of that.