Newcastle have loved a cult forward or two over the years. Callum Wilson, now a seasoned scorer alongside the more exuberant Alexander Isak, is no exception to this trend. Still present at the ever-developing, ever-moneyed Newcastle – 31-year-old Wilson can look back on an impressive goal tally.
Wilson's scored more than you'd think. Perhaps it's a nod to the luxury of the league around him, as his 82 Premier League appearances for the Magpies with a prolific 42 goals somehow slipped under the radar. It's no wonder he's a fan favourite like he was at Bournemouth. However, this article isn't wholly about him.
In terms of cults on Tyneside, there's only really one man who epitomises the title. With a special onus on his 2011/12 season, as well as the fact he's still scoring at 38 – let's look at Papiss Cisse.
How good was Papiss Cissé at Newcastle?
For that one season in 2011/12, (and perhaps with the exception of 2014/15), Cisse was electric.
The Senegalese striker arrived in Newcastle after ripping up Ligue 2 with Metz and then the Bundesliga with Freiburg.
During the 2010/11 term, Cisse was second to Mario Gomez's 28 goals in the scoring charts with 22. An eventual total tally of 37 league goals is still a record for a Freiburg player, with that 22 itself being a season record for an African in the Bundesliga – surpassing Tony Yeboah's 20 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt back in 1992/93.
Newcastle's ears pricked up after this, as well as after a half-season where he scored nine in 17, and signed Cissé for £10m in January 2012. Here, the fun commenced.
In the second half of the sharp-shooting 11/12 campaign, fans saw one of the Premier League's most ridiculous runs of form as a leggy, frenetic Cisse bagged an insane 13 goals in 14 games with two amazing efforts coming against Chelsea. Stamford Bridge in May 2012. It's almost synonymous with Cisse.
The first goal sees Jonas Gutierrez find Davide Santon making a nice overlap. He jinks down the left channel before slipping the ball into Cisse. Don't look away. He's just on the edge of the box and in one movement, the ball's up and away. He's flicked it up and volleyed into the far right side with Cech no chance. He's made the skullcap-wearing maestro look like a playground kid. Up you get, Petr.
After seeing that first goal, it's easy to think 'it can't get better' – but obviously it always does.
Play is on the left-hand side and just out of the corner, big Shola Ameobi has chested it down. Again, I implore you, don't even blink – because on the bounce it's a pelter from with the outside of the right boot.
It's a dream of a strike and again, Cech may as well not even dive. Top right corner, disbelief. Look, even Drogba is clapping. Chelsea later ended the term sixth; a place behind Papiss-inspired Newcastle. This win not only helped to sway things. It stormed the goal of the month voting…
Where is Papiss Cissé now?
As hinted to briefly earlier, other than 2011/12's goal run, Cisse's next big season was in 2014/15 as he scored 11 goals in 22. Impressive, but he wasn't consistent enough – and feeling he'd had his time in the sun, he moved on in 2016 for around £5m.
Cue a goal-laden journey through China, three Turkish clubs and one near-death experience in a horrendous coach crash, before going back to Ligue 2 – the division where it all started.
In a beautifully Geordie-centric cyclic fashion too, at Amiens, he's up top with Andy Carroll who himself has gone off the beaten path.
Shandong Luneng – 2016/18
16
31
Alanyaspor – 2018/20
38
58
Fenerbahce – 2020/21
5
25
Caykur Rizespor – 2022
2
14
Amiens – 2022-
10
30
Stats via Transfermarkt.
Since leaving in 2016, Cissé has scored a whopping 80 goals and ten assists at club level compared to Wilson's 81 goals. That's not bad for a striker who is seven years Wilson's senior.
