David Ginola "stabbed in the back" by Newcastle United over Barcelona move

David Ginola has said that he felt "stabbed in the back" by Newcastle United after Kevin Keegan blocked him from a potential move to Barcelona.

The former France international said that he was offered a chance to move to Barca in the summer of 1996 but it was blocked by Newcastle.

"I was back in the south of France on holiday, sad because we lost the title, but not expecting anything else," he told The Athletic.

"When the phone rang and it was Sir Bobby [Robson], saying he wanted me, that they were going to make an offer. They started at £6m and went up to £12m, until Keegan called me and said it didn't matter how much they bid, Newcastle wouldn't let me go.

"I said to him, 'You have to. This is my last chance to play for Barcelona — a club which will be winning trophies every year.' It was no disrespect to Newcastle, but a career is so short. When it didn't happen again, I had to go back. And then when Keegan left us that January, he left me, too. I felt stabbed in the back."

Ginola left the North-East club the following summer for Tottenham Hotspur, where he made 100 Premier League appearances and scored 13 goals.