Newcastle star Matt Ritchie appears to have one eye on life after football after passing his lorry driving test on Thursday. The former Scotland international, who joined the Magpies from Bournemouth in 2016, is out of contract this summer and will turn 35 in September.
Ritchie has made 18 Premier League appearances over the last two seasons but has failed to start a top-flight match since December 2021. The veteran was handed a contract extension last summer but is unlikely to pen fresh terms when his current deal comes to an end.
And the versatile player could be set to swap his life of driving up and down the motorway as a football player for a life of driving up and down the motorway as a professional lorry driver.
Ritchie passed his Category C driving test with the Tyne & Wear LGV Driver Training Centre, with a photo of his achievement being posted to X. And the former Portsmouth player will reportedly return in an effort to obtain a more advanced certificate.
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Ritchie has made 213 appearances for Newcastle since joining the club and previously helped Bournemouth win promotion from League One to the Premier League via the Championship. He wasn’t registered for Newcastle’s Champions League squad this season, with his only first-team start coming during last November’s 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Ritchie will likely be given a hero’s send-off if he does head through the St James’ Park exit at the end of the campaign. And last summer, the ace addressed the uncertainty of his Magpies career as he told the Newcastle Chronicle: “Yeah of course [I could have left the club.] I think everyone knows the situation that I found myself in, I was coming to the end of my contract.
“I had a year option which was then in the club’s hands. But the manager and the football club made me feel that I was valued and that I have a role to play and I am excited about that. I never expected to stay for eight seasons but I am thoroughly enjoying my time here. It is an amazing place to be at the moment and hopefully I can be part of something special this season.”
And he then told BBC Newcastle: “Of course I understand my role has changed. We have an unbelievably talented squad. I am not giving up or taking a backwards step – when called upon I am ready.”
