Nick Woltemade returned to Newcastle on a £75 flight after scoring on international duty with Germany. The striker went from national hero to EasyJet passenger in a matter of hours after scoring the decisive goal for Germany in their 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Northern Ireland. Talk about a humbling journey home.
From Windsor Park to economy class
As reported by the Magpies' £69 million ($92m) club-record signing, who has been setting the Premier League alight with his form, jetted back to Tyneside on a £75 flight from Belfast, sharing the same plane as none other than Sunderland defender Dan Ballard, whom he fought against on the pitch. The 6ft 6in German striker kept a low profile during the 45-minute journey, hiding under a cap and hoodie while sitting in the front row of the 10:40am flight from Belfast International to Newcastle.
AdvertisementAFPGerman giant finally breaks his international duck
After facing criticism back home for failing to find the net in his first five international appearances, Woltemade finally delivered when it mattered. His first goal for Germany sealed a vital victory in their World Cup qualification campaign and eased the growing pressure on the 23-year-old.
"I'm really happy about it," Woltemade told BBC Sport NI after Germany's win. "The last game didn't go so well for me so I was really happy today that I score. Maybe it's because I'm in the West of Europe, I score there more often!"
Woltemade had endured a frustrating outing against Luxembourg, managing just one attempt before being subbed off after an hour. But on Monday night, he answered his critics in emphatic fashion; the goal machine was back in business. The strike against Northern Ireland means Woltemade has now hit four goals in his last five games for club and country combined. Since his big-money move from Stuttgart to Newcastle in August, he’s wasted no time justifying the price tag, already bagging four for the Magpies.
"It was really important when you look at the table. We needed this win, it was a difficult away game, but an amazing atmosphere," he said. "It was a hard game. A lot of long balls. A lot of duals, it was not easy. It was really difficult. They shoot the ball and cross the ball from everywhere, so we always have to go on the dual, it was like 50/50 and the ball is dropping somewhere but I think we did really well. We knew this would be part of the game but I think we did quite good."
Now that the goal drought is over, Woltemade is already hungry for more. With World Cup qualification within touching distance, the striker is targeting more goals next month against Luxembourg and Slovakia.
He added: “We’ll continue to work to develop further, to push our game forward, and I’m looking forward to the next training camp.”
German teammates rally behind Woltemade & Wirtz
Not everyone had a night to remember in Belfast, though. Liverpool’s £100m ($133.5m) playmaker Florian Wirtz endured a frustrating evening, failing to make his mark. But teammate David Raum leapt to his defence while also hailing Woltemade’s resurgence.
“They’re amazing players. They both have amazing abilities," he said. "Florian has not had the best start at Liverpool I know but he’s working hard at training and always stays long on the pitch. I’m sure he’s going to make his way at Liverpool and he’ll be an important player this season for me. Nick is already scoring for Newcastle and I’m happy to play with both of them. I’m very happy for Nick. He’ll keep going and scoring for Newcastle. He’ll grow there and I hope he’ll become an even better player there because we’ll need him.”
While Newcastle fans are revelling in their new talisman, back in Germany, Stuttgart are still licking their wounds. Their manager, Sebastian Hoeness, hasn’t minced his words about how much the club misses Woltemade. The 48-year-old boss, who openly criticised the decision to sell the striker late in the transfer window, called it a “bitter loss” and admitted the Bundesliga club are struggling to fill the void.
"It's not about whether my fears were confirmed. We all knew that we were taking a risk by selling Nick and the Hyeon Gyu Oh transfer not coming to fruition," Hoeness said in an interview with . "There was great hope that he would make it through the season, as has been the case in recent years. But injuries are unfortunately a part of competitive sport. [Demirovic] is the only true centre-forward in the squad. For us, this means that we as a coaching staff have to work with the players on solutions. We were already doing this before Medo's absence due to the large number of games, but now the task is obviously significantly more challenging."
GettyFrom Easyjet to the Premier League fast lane
Two months into Woltemade's Premier League adventure, it’s clear Newcastle have unearthed something special. The Toon faithful adore him and Monday night’s international breakthrough will only boost his confidence heading into the weekend’s clash with Brighton. A £69m man flying home on EasyJet, but on the pitch, Woltemade is soaring at 30,000 feet.