DeAndre Yedlin is part of a lengthy list of players who have crossed the Tyne-Wear divide and played for both Sunderland and Newcastle. From Len Shackleton to Louis Saha, almost 70 players have represented both clubs.
If you refine the list to players who played back-to-back for each club, Yedlin counts as one among Paul Bracewell, Lee Clark, Steve Cauldwell, Jack Colback, Robbie Elliott and more in the eclectic roll-call. The path between each team is surprisingly well-trodden.
“Newcastle is the big one on my resume. When I meet people here in the States, they don't say, Sunderland, they say ‘the Newcastle player’”. But Yedlin played for Sunderland first.
Big Sam changed my life (sort of)
Having failed to break into Tottenham’s first team in the mid-2010s, when Kyle Walker (Ranked No.5 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League defenders of all time) was the first-choice right-back, Yedlin moved to Wearside on loan from Spurs. Sam Allardyce was in charge of the team – his last position before being offered the England job in 2016.
“Big Sam is a bit more defensive, so positioning-wise, I had to work on that side of the game. I wasn't in a different position on the field, but as far as how the team wanted to play, defensively I had to work a lot harder.” Mentally, Yedlin credits this period of his career as life-changing.
“I don’t remember who we were playing, but there was one game where I got pulled out after 20 minutes. For a soccer player, that's not exactly what you want. For the next two months, I was sulking, feeling bad for myself, and obviously, I was on loan, so it wasn’t really the position you want to be in.
“I told myself, ‘Look, you got yourself in this position; you need to get yourself out.’ The point of a loan is to go and play. I looked up books about success on Amazon, and one popped up by Brian Tracy called Maximum Achievement.”
Yedlin admits he hadn’t read a full book in his life at this point, but vowed to complete Tracy’s book on goal-setting and found it focused his mental side. “People look at the game or any athletic sport and don’t realise how big the mental side is. So much of what we do is training physically, but I think more than 70-80 per cent of the game is mental.
“It got me focused more on that, and I think that not only helped on the field but off the field as well. It started to get me into meditation and mindfulness.”
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This year, Yedlin became a published author, co-writing a children’s book with his former Inter Miami teammate Drake Callender titled X Marks the Spot centered around an African American boy named X and the importance of being mindful of yourself and your surroundings.
“In hindsight, it [Sunderland] was probably one of the most important chapters of my life. But when I moved to Newcastle, it was a big moment for me because all my friends at home knew Newcastle. To play for such a historic club, in that stadium, under Rafa Benitez, a legendary coach, was a significant moment.”
It was technically a step down, Sunderland had survived relegation from the Premier League in 2016, but Newcastle had dropped. Benitez signed a permanent deal and signed a raft of talented players like Yedlin, Matt Ritchie, Isaac Hayden and Ciaran Clark.
“We had a great team and were on the ball a lot, which allowed me to play how I was used to playing. I loved Rafa. His game is organized and disciplined, focused more on the defensive side.
“He really challenged me on positioning defensively, which was probably my weakest point. I was always quite fast, so I could make up for positional mistakes, but at that level, you get exposed in that area.”
Yedlin had found a permanent home and remained on Tyneside for five years. During this time he played with players like Spaniards Joselu, Mikel Merino and Ayoze Perez who all went on to enjoy big moves that brought domestic and international success.
“There are cases of players who may not perform in one place but switch to a different team or country and suddenly excel. That’s not just on the field; it could be off-the-field factors too.
“You could see hints of it, but it wasn’t consistent. At the end of the day, they were good players. All they might have needed was a change of scenery. That plays a big part, and I think my top priority as a player is making sure my family is happy. If they're happy, I'm going to be happy and perform well. They’re obviously blossoming now, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”
The years were formative for Yedlin too. He arrived in the region alone, so bought an English bulldog named Simba who went viral after Yedlin managed to teach him how to skateboard.
“I had seen dogs skateboarding and thought it was cool, so when I decided to get a dog, one of the things I really wanted to do was teach them to skateboard. I had heard that English bulldogs were good at that so that influenced my decision to get a bulldog.
“When we moved to Turkey, we had to leave Simba in Newcastle, so he found another family there. I haven’t heard if he’s still around.
“Simba was awesome for me. I was there by myself, and sometimes that’s tough when you’re young. Having a companion taught me responsibility – taking him out, feeding him, waking up in the middle of the night when he needed to go outside. I loved him, but I miss him.”
Yedlin also misses Newcastle United. "I still follow Newcastle. I obviously want the best for the club. The club did so much for me, so I think it's important to follow them and support them. I'm extremely happy that the club has found success, and for me, that's what the fans deserve."
DeAndre Yedlin is an investor and ambassador for Sokito football boots, click here to learn more
