It was after midnight when the bus carrying Newcastle’s Carabao Cup-winning team pulled into The Grove, closer to Watford’s Vicarage Road than Wembley. But a vicarage this was not — the after, after-party was just about to begin. In fact, it was only sunrise that brought the curtain down.
Captain Bruno Guimaraes and Brazilian sidekick Joelinton knew there was little mileage in going to bed, not with a 5,700-mile flight to Rio de Janeiro to come in the morning. They partied all night, medals on puffed out chests, before leaving for international duty at the break of day. Sleep could wait for 36,000ft, which is just about the height they needed to come down from.
Some staff had gone to bed, exhausted, only to wake up and find the party still going.
The goodbyes were said to be emotional, with bear hugs and not handshakes. Sandro Tonali took a private jet to Italy with a copy of the Daily Mail for his in-flight entertainment. His fiancee, Juliette Pastore, posted a picture from the plane of our back page, the smiling faces of the cup winners beaming from it.
Dan Burn, the most popular Geordie on the planet, went off in a chauffeur-driven car to St George’s Park to meet up with England for the first time. He was joined by Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento. Those who left were perhaps wishing it was otherwise, especially with their team-mates and Eddie Howe flying home to Newcastle and then on to Dubai later in the day. That could be more like a stag do than a warm-weather training camp.
The previous night, amid the chill of north London, Newcastle’s players wandered freely down a near-empty Wembley Way — kit bags in one hand, beer in the other — three hours after the final whistle of their 2-1 victory over Liverpool. They were making their way to Wembley Boxpark for after-party number one.
Newcastle stars partied into the night at Boxpark, with Alan Shearer (right) among the stars in attendance
Joelinton danced with his wife Thays Gondim (pictured with her phone) on the Boxpark balcony
Sandro Tonali took a private jet to Italy with a copy of the Daily Mail for his in-flight entertainment
Guimaraes was lucky to get there, given he nearly went heels over head when slipping on a river of champagne during the dressing-room celebrations. It was his only mis-step of the day.
Just as well he did make it to Boxpark, because there he was the life and soul. He gave another captain’s performance, taking a bottle of champagne from the balcony and spraying supporters below. Tonali, Joelinton and Burn all followed suit, emptying bubbly on to fans, who cared not one bit. Drenched in alcohol they may have been, but it represented the sweet smell of success. Tee-total Howe, meanwhile, smelt more like one of the Boxpark barmen, given the soaking Joelinton had given him in the dressing room.
The head coach was joined by his wife and three sons. Two years ago, at the nearby Hilton Hotel, he had thrown himself into the arms of his children following a 2-0 defeat by Manchester United. This time, it was the boys jumping into their dad’s arms in celebration.
Howe, wearing his medal and a Newcastle scarf, did not take centre stage on the balcony — it was hard to get a look-in with Guimaraes and Joelinton the masters of ceremonies in their black-and-white bowler hats — but that is his way.
He chatted to his family, the players’ families and Geordie royal family in the form of Alan Shearer and his children. Earlier, the Toon legend had scurried through the crowds with his flat cap on and collar up to avoid delay in getting to his celebratory Guinness. Shearer played under many great managers, but it is Howe who has delivered his dream of seeing Newcastle win a trophy. His congratulations to the boss were said to be warm and heartfelt.
There were other former stars, too. Shola Ameobi was bought a Baby Guinness by fans. At first he resisted the super-strength shot, before putting it away with the same conviction as all those goals he scored against Sunderland. ‘Actually, that was pretty good,’ he remarked.
Bobby Moncur, no longer the last Newcastle skipper to lift a trophy, was there as were Shay Given, Steve Watson, John Beresford, Ryan Taylor and more recent stars such as Elliot Anderson and Paul Dummett. Singer James Bay, who had performed for the team at The Grove on the eve of the game, was at the heart of the party. But the real A-listers were the players.
Guimaraes and Joelinton bounced on the raised platform of the balcony to the tune of Pump It Up by Danzel. Disbelieving fans below found themselves mirroring their every move, be it voluntary or otherwise.
Club captain Bruno Guimaraes posed for a selfie with his wife Ana Lidia Martins (left)
Newcastle’s WAGs posed for a photo together as they celebrated with their husbands
Shearer also grabbed a photo with Joelinton, who partied all night, after the midfield enforcer’s stunning display
Tonali and his partner Juliette Pastore (right) posed together with the midfielder’s winner’s medal
Eddie Howe pictured with the Carabao Cup trophy on the team’s flight back to Newcastle
They took off their black-and-white jerseys, moist from the Moet rinse, and hurled them up to the balcony. A marker pen was scrambled and the players returned them, signed and sealed with silverware. But then came the night’s biggest surprise, the appearance of club chairman Yasir Al Rumayyan and co-owner Jamie Reuben, wearing black and white shirts over their suits. Al Rumayyan, a man who signs billion-dollar contracts, was signing the tops of others.
They each received a cheer, but not as loud as the one that awaited Burn when he took to the railings to lead a rendition of Ultrabeat’s Pretty Green Eyes… ‘You’ll never ever beat Dan Burn, he’s from Blyth!’
The day’s hero — Newcastle’s first scorer at Wembley in 25 years — danced and bellowed the chorus as his medal ricocheted around his neck. There was a photo with Shearer, too, only it was the older man asking for the privilege.
And what did Burn have in his hand throughout? A can of Coca-Cola. He would not swap his England call-up for anything, but in a different world without international duty, he would have most certainly swapped that coke for a beer.
‘Scam Fender’ played on stage, while the real Sam Fender adapted his lyrics in tribute to Burn at a concert in Berlin.
It was 11pm when last orders were called and the cup winners made their way to the coach for the 45-minute journey back to The Grove. It was not a chance for rest, either, and those on board described the ride as ‘lively’. It is never anything but with the Samba boys in tow.
Guimaraes and Joelinton would have spent much of the past 24 hours asleep en route to Brazil. When they do wake, they will realise their dreams are no longer such. Newcastle United, trophy winners, is the new reality. A lingering scent of champagne will remind them of that.
