Has there ever been more of a cult hero at Newcastle United than Joelinton? The man has had to graft harder than anyone to get into the hearts of the Geordie Nation but now he's there, we will not let him go.
Joelinton was signed as a striker in the Mike Ashley era despite never having played that position before - he was a wide forward for Hoffenheim, and that's where he made his name - and when he started playing for Newcastle, it showed.
The Brazilian wasn't blessed with the natural finishing abilities of a goal-scorer and would often amaze fans with feats of sheer turgid football not seen on a Sunday League pitch - remember that time he kicked the ball into his own face?
However, since Eddie Howe stumbled upon playing Joelinton as a midfielder thanks to a Ciaran Clark red card, neither Howe, Joelinton nor the Toon Army have looked back.
That positional shift as well as some hard graft in the gym, changed Joelinton into one of the most fearsome box-to-box midfielders in the Premier League, but his style of play comes with a cost.
Mr Linton has already been suspended once this season for accumulating five yellow cards and is already just two bookings away from another ban.
Give Me Sport have ranked the 'dirtiest' players in the Premier League based on the last couple of seasons and it's hardly surprising to see Joelinton sitting atop the pile.
Maybe it's our black and white blinkers or our borderline creepy love of Joelinton, but we don't see Joelinton as a 'dirty' player, he's just passionate and that passion sometimes drives him to go in a bit too hard in the challenge.
Although, saying that, he was ready to take on the entire Bournemouth team on Saturday after he lifted one of their players into the stands.
Eddie Howe has spoken about how Newcastle aren't here to be popular, we're here to win, and nobody sums up that better than Joelinton. Newcastle fans adore him and that's all that matters.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
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23 | 35 | 56 |
2 |
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24 | 27 | 50 |
3 |
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24 | 13 | 47 |
4 |
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24 | 16 | 43 |
5 |
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24 | 13 | 41 |
6 |
![]() |
24 | 13 | 41 |
7 |
![]() |
24 | 13 | 40 |
8 |
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24 | -3 | 37 |
9 |
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24 | 4 | 36 |
10 |
![]() |
24 | -3 | 34 |
11 |
![]() |
24 | 0 | 31 |
12 |
![]() |
24 | -2 | 30 |
13 |
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24 | -6 | 29 |
14 |
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24 | 11 | 27 |
15 |
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24 | -17 | 27 |
16 |
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23 | -5 | 26 |
17 |
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24 | -18 | 19 |
18 |
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24 | -28 | 17 |
19 |
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24 | -27 | 16 |
20 |
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24 | -36 | 9 |