Over the course of more than a decade, Tim Krul became one of the most popular players at Newcastle United, as he rose through the ranks at St James’ Park.
The Dutch goalkeeper turned out more than 180 times for the Magpies, producing countless memorable moments for the club, before his spell at Tyneside came to a premature end following an injury while on international duty.
As the 38-year-old looks back at his career, he has just one lingering regret – not being able to have said his goodbyes to the Newcastle faithful on his terms.
Krul on his Newcastle exit
By 2015, Krul had been established as the Newcastle No.1 for five years, but would suffer a serious knee injury while on international duty with the Netherlands.
“I came for a cross and Virgil van Dijk gave me a little nudge when we went for the same ball,” he recalls to FourFourTwo. “I was off-balance and tore my ACL.
“I’m a believer that things happen for a reason. It changed me as a person. It was a difficult time because it was a long project, especially with new managers coming in.
“It took more than 14 months to get rid of the pain in my knee. It was mentally very tough.”
During this period, Krul had to combine the physical recovery with a mental battle, as he faced up to the prospect that the injury could even end his career.
“There are always doubts,” he admits. “That’s why I had to go back to Holland, on loan with AZ Alkmaar, to get that feeling back.”
This spell saw him reach the Dutch Cup final, and although his side lost 2-0 to Vitesse Arnhem, it was key in his recovery.
“I had to play. It was a difficult time, but I had a good experience in Holland. I’d always wanted to tick that off and got to play a cup final with AZ.”
The 15-time Netherlands international was then ready to return to St James’, only to discover the club had moved in a different direction.
“Rafa Benitez, the Newcastle manager by that stage, decided he wanted a different keeper and I had to leave through the back door,” Krul continues.
“That’s the only regret, that I was never able to leave organically. I had to force a deal to go to Brighton to save my career, because it wasn’t going to happen under Rafa.”
