There’s multiple players from overseas who have made an instant impact already this season and it got us thinking about some of the other top international names that have come to Newcastle.
In no particular order, we’ve run through the archives and picked out ten players who shone whilst playing in Jets colours.
Please note: Current players were not considered.
Honourable Mentions
Firstly, we’ll start off with some great players that narrowly missed the top ten.
Here for one season, Serbian Milos Trifunovic played in 2015/16 and finished with our golden boot with nine goals from his 22 appearances, while Edson Montano, an Ecuardian international, was another great scorer who knocked home six over his loan period.
Brazilian Tiago Calvano also proved quite solid at the back in the 28 games he played.
Emile Heskey
We’ll start off with one of the more high-profile international signings that the Club has made in former Liverpool and English Lions striker, Emile Heskey.
Heskey signed in 2012 to a thunderous response from fans and pundits around the league with countless #9 ‘Heskey’ jerseys being seen in the stands from Day One.
He stayed for two seasons and although the side fell short of the finals, he still managed 10 goals to complete a successful stint with the team.
Ronnie Vargas
The only Venezuelan that’s played in the A-League, Ronald Vargas joined the Club and made an instant impact to the team, typically in the attacking midfield role.
He played in the first three games of the 2017/18 season before succumbing to an injury, but returned towards the back-end and continued where he left off showcasing his trademark flair to help us to the Grand Final.
He returned for the following season and started to nail down some goals, scoring five before leaving after the season.
Morten Nordstrand
Nordstrand came to Newcastle having spent time with big European clubs FC Kobenhavn, and FC Groningen, and with multiple titles to his name in his home nation of Denmark.
The striker scored four goals in his first 11 appearances and went on to make 34 appearances for the Jets with a total of seven goals and certainly proved a consistent threat from up front.
Nordstrand left to return back to Denmark after the 2016/17 season.
Kew Jaliens
Former Dutch international Kew Jaliens arrived at the Club in 2013 – seven years after playing in the FIFA World Cup and five since playing at the Olympics – after most recently playing with Wisla Krakow in Poland.
Jaliens went on to make over 30 appearances with the Jets and even captained the team during his second season.
The former Eredivisie winner also managed to score three goals from his centre back position and is now the Youth Technical Director for Northern NSW which also sees him manage the Jets Academy.
Milton Rodriguez
It’s safe to say that blistering Colombian Milton Rodriguez was a huge fan favourite in his time at the Club.
Rodriguez spent the majority of his career playing in his home nation, before spending a Cup-winning season in South Korea and then hopping on a plane and showcasing his skills in Australia.
Whilst he only made 21 appearances in Jets colours, he made a huge impact scoring seven goals and numerous assists posing one of the biggest threats up top. And it’d be remiss of us not to mention that beautiful, flowing hair too…
Wayne Brown
Englishmen Wayne Brown ventured to Newcastle in time for the 2016/17 season arriving from Finland where he spent two seasons.
Sensationally, Brown scored on his Club debut in the FFA Cup, before then also nabbing a goal in his A-League debut later.
The playmaker played 42 games for the team and was a consistent member of our midfield in the two seasons he played.
Song Jin-Hyung
South Korean Song incredibly made his Club debut in the finals of the 2007/08 A-League, featuring in the second leg of our tie with the Mariners.
He went on to start in the Grand Final playing a role in our Championship victory and stayed with the team for the next two seasons to play 49 matches in total.
He scored five times for the Jets, and started in all 28 games of our finals-qualifying season in 2009/10, which would prove to be his last with us.
Denni
Flair-ridden Denni Rocha dos Santos – or just Denni as we all knew him – came at the beginning of our Championship season following stints in Mexico, Japan and his home nation of Brazil.
While the midfielder frequently featured off the bench, there’s no denying he always brought a spark and the element of surprise.
He managed one goal but helped the side to the Grand Final which would prove to be his last match for the Club before he went on to win multiple Malta Premier League Championships.
Michael Bridges
One of our more notable international signings who made his way from the dizzying heights of the Premier League.
After playing for top clubs like Sunderland, Newcastle and Leeds United in the Premier League, Michael Bridges arrived in 2009, played 66 games, captained the Club, and even decided to stay in Newcastle after his tenure.
The Englishmen nabbed 12 goals in his time with us and was not only a star on the field for us, but a great leader throughout the Club too.
Roy O’Donovan
Arguably the most instrumental international we’ve seen at the Jets, Roy O’Donovan was a star for us in the two stints he enjoyed here.
The Irish striker (who’s now also Australian) entered the league with the Mariners, before venturing to the Hunter where he scored 20 goals from his 33 games and was a crucial member of our Grand Final side in 2018.
Just over a year later, he returned to the Club after spending time with Brisbane, and picked up where he left off in the goal scoring department finishing off 12 strikes.
Now with Sydney Olympic in the NPL NSW, he is undisputedly a legend of the Club, sitting at second on the all-time goalscoring list for our A-League Men’s team.
