Premier League hero looks unrecognisable spotted busking in busy city centre

A retired star has turned heads by posting a video of himself busking with a guitar on a city street. The player, who looks unrecognisable from his days on the pitch, spent a total of seven years in England's top flight between 2008 and 2015. He mainly played for but also had a brief loan spell at .

The former midfielder was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2013, but made a full recovery after undergoing successful surgery. He went on to play for clubs in Spain and his native Argentina before retiring in late 2021. A full international, he counts the likes of and Angel Di Maria among his former team-mates.

The player in question is of course Jonas Gutierrez, who has taken to to profess his love for the Tyneside city. He shared a video of himself on a busy street, strumming a guitar and singing in Spanish as people walked by without recognising him.

Gutierrez captioned the post: "My city, my home. I am a Geordie. I love this city. I love this people. Thanks for everything @nufc a dream come true playing guitar at the monument."

He joined Newcastle in 2008, arriving from Girona on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee. The Magpies were relegated to the Championship in his first season but secured an immediate return to the Premier League the following year.

Gutierrez earned the nickname El Galgo, which translates to The Greyhound, as a result of his tireless efforts on the pitch. He made over 200 appearances for Newcastle before he was released in 2015 after scoring a goal that saved them from relegation in his final match.

The manner of his exit was somewhat controversial, with interim boss John Carver failing to deliver the news in person. He called Ryan Taylor to inform the defender that he was being released before asking him to pass the phone to Gutierrez.

In an interview with

🗣️ "I was 7 years at the club and I think it was not a nice way to finish like that."

Jonas Gutierrez hopes new owners will bring 'glory years' for Newcastle as he looks back on scoring the goal that saved them from relegation and then being let go by the club over the phone. pic.twitter.com/qmT8EiLMdd

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 9, 2021

in 2021, Gutierrez reflected: "It was a hard situation, one that I never expected, to be honest. Over the years I always tried to do my best, play all the games I could and then I had to go through my illness.

"To finish with a phone call was really, really, sad. Ryan Taylor was with me and he passed me the phone. It's not the way to do these things.

"If you have to say something you could at least call direct to [my] phone because I was seven years at the club and it was not a nice way to finish like that."