Nobby Solano trumpets Toon
After impressing Maradona at Boca Juniors, the Peruvian bedazzled Emre and pals with his mesmerising musical skills on Tyneside
You joined Newcastle from Boca Juniors in 1998 – did your move to England make the Premier League popular in Peru?
There haven’t been many Peruvian players in England, so going to play in one of Europe’s best competitions meant I was high profile. A lot of people started following the Premier League because I was in it. Newcastle were and still are hugely popular in Peru, and you still get a lot of people walking around Lima in Newcastle shirts!
Peru qualified for both the 1978 and 1982 World Cups during your childhood. Did that inspire you?
My mother once told me that football came ‘ from the belly’. When she was pregnant with me, she said I’d be kicking, kicking, kicking! Football was always my passion – I’d play on my own in the street, kicking it against a wall and then with my friends. The country came to a standstill for those World Cups – I can’t remember much about the first one, but the second had a huge impact on me.
What was it like playing alongside Diego Maradona at Boca Juniors?
I’d always said that I’d be happy just to play against Maradona, as that would have been a dream. I never thought when I joined Boca that Maradona would come back and play for them – he was 36 or 37. It’s like a young boy now getting the chance to play with Lionel Messi. I would love to have played with him when he was at Napoli or Barcelona, but he was still quality. He was still the little master.
I think he thought I was quite a good player, too. He used to give me lots of compliments.
How lively was Boca Juniors vs River Plate?
What a game that is. The Argentine fans are crazy. Mental. They shout, they jump up and down. They fight! When I moved to England and Newcastle played Sunderland, there was no comparison. I’d tell people it was all pretty quiet compared to whenever Boca met River!
You set up so many goals for Alan Shearer at Newcastle, so would he be the Premier League’s record goalscorer without you?!
You can’t say that! [ Laughs] Alan was already a scoring machine before I arrived – it was incredible the range of goals he scored. I was very proud to play a part in his goalscoring. He’s a great man, a great friend and we still stay in touch.
What made your relationship with all the Newcastle fans so special?
I’m a really social person. Apart from football, I loved the passion of the people. My children were born in Newcastle – I have family and so many friends there. Theirs is the first score I look out for on a Saturday, and whenever I have the chance, I go back there. Was it similar to where I grew up in Peru? Are you joking? Do you know about the weather in Newcastle? [ Laughs] But even when it was freezing cold and dark at 4pm for four or five months, it was still somewhere
I loved living.
What sparked your love of the trumpet?
I started playing it at school. When I lived in Argentina, I got bored and lonely. I thought, ‘ I’ll get my trumpet and have some lessons’. I never did, though. When I joined Newcastle I heard my neighbours playing lots of music, so I got in touch with them and managed to arrange a few lessons. If I was injured, I’d be sat waiting for the players to finish training, and had the trumpet with me. I found a nice room to hide in with very good acoustics, and would play for about an hour. Bobby Robson could never work out where all the noise was coming from. I’d play music for a funeral to wind him up – it used to drive him mad! He’d say, “Who’s bloody playing that trumpet?”
During your time in the North East, you set up a band called The Geordie Latinos. Do they still play?
Yes! Apart from me, obviously. They were all professional musicians – a few Cubans, a guy from Ecuador, and myself. It was a real mix. The Newcastle lads used to come and watch us when we had a gig. Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer, Emre... they’d all be there.
How difficult was it to leave Newcastle for Aston Villa in January 2004?
To be honest, I never wanted to leave. But at the time Bobby Robson was a little bit funny with me, so I told my agent that I wanted to play football. Villa came in and gave me that opportunity. I had a great time there – I was player of the year in 2004- 05.
Is it true you rejected Liverpool to return to Newcastle in 2005?
I was driving back to Newcastle when I had a call from one of Rafa Benitez’s assistants. But I’d already spoken to Alan Shearer and Stevie Harper, who said, “You’ve got to come back.” So that was that.
Was your wedding really televised in Peru?
It’s so embarrassing... I’m a shy guy but my agent is a cheeky boy. He said that Peruvian TV would screen my wedding for 20 minutes and pay for the whole lot, so I did it. I saved myself a few dollars!
You joined Peru’s coaching staff in 2017 – how did it feel to be on the bench for your country at the 2018 World Cup?
I’m very proud and lucky to be working with Ricardo Gareca. To be at a World Cup for the first time in 36 years was unbelievable for the national team. But now we carry on, and we must get to Qatar in 2022. I love coaching – I’m not a man who yells, I’m a calm person.
Would you manage Newcastle in the future?
That would be my dream – you never know what will happen. At the moment I’m the head coach of Peru Under- 23s, but I’ll wait for that call. I’d love to coach in England one day.