Newcastle United fans will love what Sandro Tonali did after Leeds win as availability called into question
Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali became a father this week.
Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali and his wife, Juliette, welcomed the birth of their child, Leonardo, on Thursday morning.
Shortly after Newcastle’s 4-3 win over Leeds United at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening, Tonali headed down to London for the birth of his child at The Portland Hospital.
Although the Italian was substituted at half-time in the Leeds match, with Newcastle trailing 2-1, he watched on from the bench as the side completed a thrilling late comeback, even joining in with the post-match celebrations.
And a memorable result turned into an unforgettable 24 hours for Tonali and his family.
The Newcastle midfielder shared an Instagram post from his wife showing a picture of the couple with their newborn baby.
It was accompanied by the caption: “January 8, 2026 - 08:53 ✨We were born with you our love. Welcome to the world, baby Leonardo.We love you to the moon and back.”
The post was met with many congratulations from players, staff and those connected with Newcastle, including former co-owner Amanda Staveley, who wrote: “Huge congratulations to Sandro and Giulia on the birth of their beautiful boy Leonardo. We know you will be the most amazing parents, and he will become a true Geordie legend.”
Eddie Howe confirms Sandro Tonali’s availability v Bournemouth
A whirlwind 48 hours for Tonali raised questions regarding his availability for Saturday’s FA Cup match against Bournemouth at St James’ Park.
It also highlighted a further topic of whether Howe would allow his players paternity leave should they need it. In the UK, employees are entitled to at least one week of paternity leave, though this is often longer.
“As far as I know, he is [available],” Howe said. “I think [paternity leave] is a good point. There are certainly staff here that have had paternity leave and it's something that we would obviously back if someone needed that.
“I think it's a wonderful moment in your life when you have a child, as I know, and for Sandro it's a really exciting time. I think you can use that excitement for a real positive and to help your performance, because you see life in a totally different way once you become a father, so I'm delighted for him personally.
“I'd like to say congratulations to him and to his family. We hope it's another exciting chapter for him and his life.”
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Sandro Tonali’s form for NUFC
Tonali will be hoping to get back to his best levels for Newcastle after struggling for form in recent months. The 25-year-old is one player who has had his personal life put under the microscope more than most given his previous issues with gambling and now the well-publicised birth of his child.
“I think the players are, of course, human beings and they have loads going on in their private lives continually, as we all do,” Howe said. “And the balance between work and private life and making sure your work's not affected by your private life is an ongoing battle for everybody.
“I think the lads are really professional. I think they know the importance of what they deliver on a weekend or whenever they're playing for themselves, for their families, for their careers.
“But occasionally, especially from my perspective, I have to understand what's going on in their lives and maybe things are going on off the pitch that affect them and I can support them and help them.
“And as a football club, we can support and help them in every moment of their lives because it's not just babies and other things. There's so much going on in daily life that can have an effect, positively and negatively.”