Former Newcastle midfield enforcer Joey Barton has included five former Magpies in his OneToEleven, as reported by Sky Sports.
The 33-year-old named Fabricio Coloccini, Sylvain Distin, Kevin Nolan, Nicky Butt and Andy Cole in his best team.
Barton played with three of those five players during his stint on Tyneside – Coloccini, Nolan and Butt.
Here is the full team:
Schmeichel, Coloccini, Dunne, Distin, Benarbia, Nolan, Butt, Wright-Phillips, Cole, Fowler, Anelka.
Speaking about why he chose to include current Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini, Barton said:
A ferocious character, the year we got promoted and the year we were first back in the Premier League he was outstanding, following a really tough start to his Newcastle career.
He then went on to discuss his reasoning behind the inclusions of Nolan and Butt:
About Nolan: “Great human being, the best captain I’ve played for, and somebody who scored a ridiculous amount of goals from midfield in the Premier League and didn’t get an England cap. He was our fulcrum at Newcastle, and any team I’d pick I’d have to have him in.”
About Butt: “Really, really good in the dressing room, and was quick to pull people in line but would equally use a lot of humour as well.”
Are you surprised by any of Barton’s selections? Let us know!