I made two appearances for Newcastle United - now I play for the 'best team in the country' with Papiss Cisse
Former Newcastle United players and several Premier League winners have formed ‘the best six-a-side team in the country’.
Swapping Premier League stadiums for a rented 3G pitch in Cheshire, a group of around 65 out-of-contract, retired and specially invited players are keeping fit with regular small-sided games. The group includes former Newcastle United stars Danny Simpson and Papiss Cisse as well as former loanee Stephen Ireland.
Simpson is one of several former Premier League winners who takes part in the matches along with the likes of Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater, Antonio Valencia and Joleon Lescott.
Location Football labelled the group as ‘the best six-a-side team in the country’ when capturing a match against non-league players preparing for the six-a-side World Cup in Oman at the end of the month.
The session captured on video featured former Newcastle striker Cisse and compatriot Oumar Niasse, previously of Everton as well as ex-Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Dale Stephens, Lescott and Ireland.
Speaking about the group, Ireland, who made two appearances for Newcastle in 2011 while on loan from Aston Villa, said: “To be fair we do play a lot, we are all fit and we do play regular.
“We play between three and five games a week in some shape or form. Whether it's sevens, nines, 10s, five, sixes. We do get challenge games quite a lot as well which we enjoy because it's a different buzz then to it, a different pressure on a game I suppose because you don't want to get embarrassed.”
While Ireland’s impact at St James’ Park was very limited, he made just shy of 250 Premier League appearances with permanent spells at Manchester City, Villa and Stoke City, scoring 19 goals.
“Usually that was a thing [that you've played in the Premier League],” the 38-year-old said when asked about the requirements to join the exclusive group. “It was where have they played, what have they done? Because it is mainly for ex-pros just to get out of the house and socialise and get some fitness.”
Ireland retired from playing in 2018 while Cisse, 39, has been without a club since his release from Amiens last summer. Last season he trained with non-league side Macclesfield but did not play competitively for the club.