Football’s importance was put in the shade as Newcastle United’s first team visited the Royal Victoria Infirmary yesterday. Mark Douglas reports
VISITING poorly children at Christmas is a sacred British footballing tradition – but for Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye yesterday’s visit represented a first.
If it is often said that the Premier League, and by extension its highly-paid stars, operate in a different stratosphere there is something about the annual Hospital visit that brings out the best in the sport.
United’s first team squad was at the Great North Children’s Hospital at the Royal Victoria Infirmary yesterday afternoon, handing out presents, signing autographs and posing for photos in the various wards.
None of the small group made up of Cabaye, the brothers Ameobi and Ole Soderberg felt particularly like superstars yesterday – not when youngsters battling cancer and brave parents who support them were there to provide perspective on the often self-absorbed world of professional football.
And for United’s popular France international, the visit was made more poignant by his own daughter’s Christmas Eve birthday. She will be two years old, and Cabaye admits it is “unthinkable” that little Myla would not be spending it at his Darras Hall home with him and his wife.
“We live in a dream world with football, the fans and all the privileges that we get,” he said in English that has improved immeasurably since his summer switch.
“This is reality, it is real life and for me it is good to come and meet the children because it shows us the other side of things. I have never done this before in my career. It is not something that we do in France but it is really, really good for the children and for us as players too.”
