Kieran Trippier would love to be Newcastle United's very own version of Tom Brady. The NFL star finally retired at the age of 45 this year after an illustrious and glittering career with New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Trippier's contributions to Newcastle this season have been similar to Brady as he has pulled the strings for the Magpies and been the cool head in the camp as they have made their way to the Carabao Cup final.
Trippier, who will be 33 later this year, signed a contract extension with the Magpies recently until 2025 but hopes he can be here much longer. The full-back is excited about life at Newcastle but also the longevity of what was once deemed a short career by older pros.
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When asked if he could follow the footsteps of Brady, Trippier, speaking ahead of the Wembley showdown against Man United, told Chronicle Live: "You look at Tom Brady and Ryan Giggs. I played with a great pro, Michael Duff, when I was at Burnley.
"This is what I love. This is what I was born to do. I won't stop until someone tells me to stop. Hopefully, you will see me for many years here."
Trippier did not hesitate to sign an extension to the deal that originally brought him from Atletico Madrid. He said: "There's nowhere else I would rather be. I love it here.
"I have got a great relationship with everybody from my team-mates right to the top. I want to help the club and, hopefully, I will retire here in many years.
"I feel as fit as anything. My injury record has been good since last year when I broke my foot. I have had a great injury record and I feel really good.
"I will do everything right, recover right, prepare right as I always have done. Hopefully, you will see me when I'm 40. You never know, do you? You've seen stranger things happen."
Football has evolved significantly since the 1970s and 1980s when booze and even smoking was part of the culture! Even in the 1990s, Kevin Keegan allowed David Ginola a crafty tab after games while the Toon players who complained about the smoke scoffed fish and chips wrapped in newspapers.
Trippier says that the sight of a 24-pack of lager slammed on the dressing room floor was not uncommon during his early days at Burnley. But now it is all about sensible eating and drinking with nutrition experts awash throughout the game.
When asked players being offered those crates of beer, Trippier joked: "I was one of them at Burnley! Sean Dyche certainly got into me for that though.
"Listen, we have all been there. When I was younger, maybe, when I would have got away with it but the Premier League is so fast, so intense, these days that you can't really afford to do it.
"You will get found out and it's certainly about eating the right things at the right times. Of course, you can celebrate at the right times, but it is about recovering and preparing right because the Premier League is relentless.
"You look at that second Liverpool goal when Mo Salah played that pass. It happened so quickly. People might think, 'You can deal with that better' but it happened so quickly. That's how fast it is."
Should Newcastle win the Carabao Cup the hope is that it could be the first of many trophies on Tyneside. Trippier would love to be part of that for as long as possible.
He said: "I certainly believe it will be fighting for every trophy possible and I'm not just saying that. A year down the line, we're in a cup final.
"That's a great stepping stone for us as a club to move forward. If I'm not here and they are playing Champions League football, I'll be absolutely delighted that I've managed to help in some way to get them into the position that they will hopefully be in.
"I certainly believe they could be fighting for everything in a couple of years' time. They have got the perfect manager in charge. He's unbelievable. The owners are fantastic. I just hope that they do because Newcastle is a massive club."
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