Jetro Willems' parents are their son's harshest critics but, tellingly, they have kept everything . In fact, there is even a room in their home dedicated to Willems' journey, which is filled with medals, shirts and photographs.
Step inside and you quickly realise that Willems has packed a lot into his career. Willems has won titles, played in the Champions League, represented his country on numerous occasions and even became the youngest footballer to ever compete in the European Championships at one point. Yet, for all those achievements, there is one particular memento that quickly catches the eye inside the shrine: an engraved golden boot.
There is a reason why this goal of the season award is among those accolades that take pride of place. It was Newcastle United fans, after all, who voted for Willems to win the honour after the Dutchman's stunning strike against Liverpool briefly silenced Anfield in 2019. Well, aside from the thousands of delirious Geordies in the away end, that is.
READ MORE: Exciting Newcastle playing style prediction made as Eddie Howe finally gets what he wanted
If that was the high point of Willems' loan spell at Newcastle, well, some of those same supporters were present for the nadir, too. In fact, the whole of St James' Park rose to its feet to give Willems a standing ovation as the left-back was stretchered off the field after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Chelsea several months later.
It may have been Willems' last game for Newcastle, but those fans continued to send the left-back messages of support on social media as they helped him get through the darkest period of his career. Is it any wonder, then, that Willems' five months at the club mean so much to him?
"It was a special time," Willems told ChronicleLive. "I liked the city, the fans, the club, everything. It meant a lot. I got the joy back.
"I won trophies at Frankfurt and had a good time, but I had a feeling in Newcastle that really suited me. That's what I needed and wanted all the time. It brought me some joy, a feeling of home, so that was a very important thing.
"It's sad that it ended like that but, for me, it doesn't matter. Things happen in life and football. You need to deal with it and, in the end, I can say they wanted me for years and I did my job. It's not that they wanted me for years and it didn't work out. That's a great feeling, too, you know? I had a great time there. Not everyone can say that. I'm one of them."
Willems, unsurprisingly, still keeps a close eye on his former club and is keen to come over and watch a game at St James' in the coming months - just as he did when friend Gini Wijnaldum was playing for Newcastle. Trying to find a window to do just that may be easier said than done, though, as Willems is currently preparing for his second season with German side Greuther Furth, who competed in the Bundesliga last season.
Pre-season, and all the running that goes with it, is never an enjoyable time for a player, but Willems is just 'happy to be a footballer again' after so long out. Willems had bounced back from injuries before, but this knee issue was a particularly 'horrible' lay-off for the 28-year-old.
Not only did Willems spend nine months on the sidelines, but the former Netherlands international was effectively frozen out at Eintracht Frankfurt in the final year of his contract because he had no plans to extend his deal. All told, Willems did not play a competitive game for 18 months at a crucial stage of his career. Throw in the isolation of the pandemic and you can see why there were 'tough times' for Willems along the way.
Willems could at least count on the support of his family and friends, including Allan Saint-Maximin. The pair may have only spent a matter of months together at Newcastle, but they quickly struck up a bond on and off the field after arriving within hours of each other that summer. Indeed, after their first game together, a pre-season friendly against Saint-Etienne, Saint-Maximin told Willems they could be a 'great couple' - and so it proved.
It said it all that Willems even saw the funny side when Saint-Maximin nominated his team-mate to pick up his fines after getting lucky on the wheel of fortune at the club's training ground. You can be sure that incident came up when Willems finally got the chance to catch up with Saint-Maximin again in person in Newcastle last November.
"We went for some dinner," he said. "It was nice to hear the Geordie accent around again. That was my biggest problem!
"Me and Max still speak and have contact. He is a nice guy and my best friend there. He's a brilliant player. I hope they will keep him because I saw some rumours but, potentially, he will become one of the biggest ones."
Those words carry particular weight when you consider that Willems played behind Saint-Maximin on the left flank and saw, first-hand, what his 'partner' could do in those early days at Newcastle. Yet while the livewire Saint-Maximin was an immediate fans' favourite, Willems did not have the easiest introduction to life on Tyneside.
There were 54 minutes on the clock when Willems replaced the injured Jonjo Shelvey during Newcastle's season opener against Arsenal. With no other midfielders on the bench, Steve Bruce had wanted to move starting left wing-back Matt Ritchie into midfield and play Willems in his preferred position.
However, amid the rush to make the change, the message had not been communicated properly and Willems went straight into the middle of the park before word got over a couple of minutes later and he swapped positions with Ritchie. Bruce, confusingly, later claimed that he did in fact want Willems to play in midfield, where the left-back had operated on occasion for Eintracht Frankfurt, but the Newcastle boss quickly had second thoughts and felt it would be unfair on his debut so he belatedly moved the new arrival across.
Regardless of Bruce's exact intentions, a dazed Willems was soon caught on his heels and Paul Dummett's intended pass to the Dutchman was seized upon by Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the build-up to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring the only goal of the game.
Looking back on his Premier League debut nearly three years on, Willems let out a high-pitched laugh before the 28-year-old admitted his mistake was 'the worst thing to ever happen'. Given the serious knee injury Willems went on to suffer a few months later, that really is saying something.
"After the game, I reached out to my Dad and he was very mad," Willems said. "He was telling me, 'You've been six or seven years in the game and this is a beginner's mistake.' Everyone on social media and Twitter was saying, 'Why did we loan him? It's one of those kind of loans again.'
"I don't think it was the first time that the coach had a situation like that. He trained me every day so he saw what I was capable of, what my strengths are. After the match, he didn't speak to me which, of course, was understandable but, on Monday, he said, 'Don't worry. Things happen but try and keep on going. We know what you can do. If you stay with the same energy, you will get the chance again. Just show them.'
"It was good for me to hear after a game like that. Let me say it was a kind of positive mistake. It didn't happen again."
It takes a certain kind of character to bounce back from a setback like that on his debut, but Willems went on to make that left wing-back spot his own - and even popped up with memorable goals against Liverpool and Man City. Although nothing was set in stone, the way Willems was playing, it would have been a surprise if Newcastle had not taken up the option to make his loan move permanent.
However, that untimely knee injury against Chelsea changed everything and the Magpies instead moved for Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis that summer. Willems is certainly not bitter about that and instead thankful for the time he spent with a tight-knit group of players, who gave him a warm welcome when he later returned to the training ground for an impromptu visit.
Reflecting on those former team-mates, it is the little things that stand out for Willems, whether it was Matt Ritchie 'screaming and giving 100% every day'; Jonjo Shelvey and the leading figures in the dressing room helping the summer signing 'a lot outside the pitch'; or Andy Carroll simply telling him about his 'experiences' at Liverpool. Willems reserves special praise for Joelinton - making the point that 'people sometimes forget that we are also human beings' - after the club's record signing 'paid' Newcastle back following a difficult start to his career on Tyneside.
Other big-money arrivals have followed since last year's takeover, including centre-back Sven Botman, who will become the first Dutchman since Willems to represent the club. Botman's move has certainly generated excitement on Tyneside and Willems has high hopes for his countryman and, indeed, the direction Newcastle are going in.
"It's a good signing," he added. "He will help the club, for sure. He had some other options too. That he chose Newcastle says something about the club."
READ NEXT
Sven Botman's perfect response to becoming Newcastle's most expensive defender
Hugo Ekitike drops bombshell as Newcastle told transfer target wants to stay at Stade de Reims
Newcastle's transfer plan hints at 'outstanding goalscorer' Eddie Howe wants to lead the line
Bayer Leverkusen will sell Moussa Diaby but Newcastle will have to meet huge transfer demand
