Newcastle sign 19-year-old Mexican striker Santiago Muñóz – no, really

Life imitates art

Newcastle United are not renowned for their expertise in the transfer market. Indeed, many fans have now complained for years that owner Mike Ashley does not invest enough money into the playing squad and even when he does, they often end up signing players like Joelinton who, shall we say, do not live up to expectations. This summer has been no different, with their only arrival being Joe Willock, who spent the second half of last season on loan at St James' Park from Arsenal. Until now, that is. On Tuesday afternoon, the club announced they had signed 19-year-old Mexican striker Santiago Muñóz. This will all sound very familiar to football fans of a certain age who enjoyed the movie Goal! The Dream Begins back in the mid noughties. The film told the tale of a Mexican teenager, Santiago Muñez, growing up in California whose dream was to play professional football in England. By chance, he is scouted at one of his local games at a park on a dirt pitch and given a trial at Newcastle United, where he has to overcome obstacles from asthma to homesickness before he can become a local hero. The second film was decent, the third one is terrible. Anyway, Newcastle have actually gone and done pretty much exactly that, but for real. Granted, he's already a professional footballer and hopefully has a better technique than Muñez did in the films, but his everything else lines up pretty perfectly. https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/1432719952629403654 Muñóz was born in the United states but has represented Mexico at U23 level and has joined from Santos Laguna on an 18 month loan with an option to buy. It seems unlikely that he will replicate the rise to stardom see the Goal! trilogy, but that's probably not why they've signed him. If you are Newcastle United and you are offered the chance to sign a 19-year-old Mexican forward called Santiago Muñóz, you simply do not turn it down. The joke is right there. If they don't give him the number 26 shirt, we'll be livid.