Tiote will always have his place in Premier League folklore

LONDON: It was already one of the iconic images of the Premier League; Cheick Tiote wheeling away, arms and fists pumping, his face contorted in absolute delight and disbelief. He ran, chased by his Newcastle teammates and then fell face down, arms still out wide, onto the sodden St James’ Park turf.

It was the 87th minute of a game against Arsenal in which Newcastle had trailed 4-0 by the 26th minute. When Tiote struck the sweetest of left foot volleys from 35 yards, parity had been restored. The stadium erupted, Tiote was smothered in joyous teammates, the then Newcastle manager Alan Pardew repeatedly punched the air, at the edge of his technical area.

“You have never seen anything like this,” shouted a commentator. “It is the comeback to end all comebacks!” That was February 2011. At a quarter-to-five, six years and four months later, it was confirmed by Emanuel Palladino, the player’s agent, that Tiote, pictured, had died.

There are times when there seems a mawkish clamour to offer sympathy in death in the age of social media. This was not one of them. Genuine sadness followed. Tiote was 30-years-old when he was taken ill after collapsing in training with Chinese side, Bejing Enterprises. He was rushed to hospital. There he was pronounced dead. Thirty. It is not an age. Tributes flowed. “I cant believe it. No words. I am broken. RIP Cheick,” said his former teammate, the Newcastle forward, Ayoze Perez.

“Devastating news of the death of Cheick Tiote. RIP.” tweeted Alan Shearer.

“It is with great sadness I have learned of Cheick’s death,” said Newcastle manager, Rafael Benitez. “He was a true professional, a great man, our hearts go out to his family and friends.”

Newcastle released a statement.

“We are devastated to have learnt of the tragic passing of former Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote.”

A strong man cut down in his prime. It remains difficult to comprehend.

Born on June 21, 1986, in Yamoussoukro in the Ivory Coast, Tiote was one of 10 children. It was said he had played football without boots when he was a youngster. He moved to Anderlecht in Belgium, was loaned to Roda JC and then made his name at FC Twente, where he won the Eredivise title in 2010 when Steve McClaren was in charge.

He moved to Newcastle United for what was considered a bargain £3.5million that summer and it was on Tyneside where Tiote made his name. Indeed his impact was such that it remained a bone of contention whether Chris Hughton, who was manager in 2010, or the chief scout Graham Carr, had spotted him.

Both men knew of a player whose physicality and size seemed to increase when he crossed the white line. He was not the tallest, measuring 1.8m, but he was fearless, combative, a driving force at the heart of a Newcastle side who returned to the Premier League and made an impact. Tiote’s desire was at the heart of it.

Tiote flourished under Pardew. He set a tone on the playing field and he did the same in training. When Tiote was at his best, a central midfielder who sought out physical confrontation, Newcastle finished fifth. When Pardew was recently asked who the two best players he had ever worked with were, he said Tiote was one of them.

Chelsea tracked a player who represented the Ivory Coast more than 50 times when he was in his pomp, but they did not make a move.

His impact lessened on Tyneside through injury and he became peripheral under McClaren and then Benitez. Not playing bothered him and he sought a move, finally, after 156 appearances for Newcastle, joining the Chinese second-division side Bejing Enterprises in February, earlier this year.

He had played in a 4-2 win on Saturday but little had been heard of Tiote, not anyway, until the news broke, that he had died from a heart attack.

It remains difficult to comprehend. To the drama of a truly thrilling 4-4 draw at St James’ Park in 2011, a genuinely unforgettable game of football, now comes the overwhelming sadness that the man who provided the dramatic finish would not live beyond the age of 30.

His partner, it has been revealed, was expecting a baby.

The football world mourns. –The Independent