Nobby Solano: Diego Maradona taught me free-kicks – at Newcastle I learned how to swear

Peruvian still enjoys hero status in North East, where is hoping to bring some success back to Blyth Spartans as historic club’s new manager

The mere mention of the name is enough to visibly move the Blyth Spartans manager. August 1997 may be 27 years ago, but Nobby Solano vividly remembers his first encounter with Diego Maradona.
Then aged 22, Solano had just left Lima-based Sporting Cristal for Boca Juniors. The agreement was that Solano would play the Copa Libertadores – the South American Champions League – finals before heading to Argentina.
“So, I only arrived for training on the Friday and my debut was on the Sunday,” Solano tells Telegraph Sport. “I was sitting there, very quiet, very shy. Maradona came over, kissed me and was like ‘you’re the little Peruvian signing for a club?’ ‘Yes, I am, Mister’ – I used to call him Mister.
“After training he took a bag of balls to practise free-kicks. I was too shy to go with him, but my coach Héctor Veira said ‘Diego, please, take this young lad with you.’ I was like, ‘Are you sure?!’ I was a little bit panicked. But I started to practise with him, started to put the ball in the corner. He said, ‘Héctor, where did you bring this guy from?’”
By the weekend’s close, Maradona had christened Solano ‘Maestrito’ – Little Master – and, while brief, the time shared is still treasured. “He gave me the most fantastic lift,” Solano explains. “When you play football, you have your idol. Many young lads now wish to play with Ronaldo – my dream was to maybe play for Peru against Argentina. I never imagined he would be my team-mate. It was the best thing to happen to me in football.”
If that topped the podium, Solano’s 1998 move to Newcastle United ran it a close second. Two spells sandwiching 18 months at Aston Villa brought 315 appearances, 48 goals and 78 assists. Solano represented Newcastle in a Wembley cup final and at the San Siro in the Champions League. He remains adored. “I haven’t played for this club for 17 years, but I still go into any pub on Gosforth High Street and it’s like I only left a few weeks ago – so many great compliments. This is my second home.”
Solano’s eyes widen as he recalls his debut. It was a reserve team game against Stockport County that was, owing to his inclusion, switched to St James’ Park at the eleventh hour. A crowd north of 8,000 passed through the turnstiles. “I couldn’t understand much of what was going on in there. But people said, ‘You know they are here because you signed? They want to see you.’ I thought, ‘Oh my god.’”
Solano’s English is nearly perfect now, but back then he understood little. Soon after his arrival, Kenny Dalglish departed as manager. Ruud Gullit’s subsequent reign was ill-fated. “All the time people were saying ‘f— off.’ It was, ‘F— off, f— off, f— off.’ I said to my ex-wife, what does this mean? Football language is like this all the time. The first thing you start to learn is swearing.”
Solano soon acclimatised. To the language; to the temperature; and to the training regime.
“We had training on a Monday and Tuesday, then Wednesday off,” he explains. “That’s another thing that surprised me because in South America we’re normally never off. Wow. It was fantastic.”
Quiet Tuesday nights in, then? Solano grins. “The boys used to take me out! Julie’s [nightclub] was the place to be!”
Then Sir Bobby Robson arrived, Newcastle’s black and white knight. “Oh Bobby,” Solano purrs. “A fantastic man, god bless him. It’s a shame he arrived with us when he was a little bit older, but he was always dreaming with the city, dreaming with the people. He started to build with everyone, bring the team together as a family. He engaged every player and every fan. And on European trips it was like going away with your granddad – he’d make us do cultural things and see the city. He was perfect for the club.”
Even now Solano’s fame in Newcastle is almost equal to his lofty status back in Peru, for whom he won 95 international caps. Even his wedding, which took place while he was with Boca, was televised.
“My agent was cheeky – he met one of the owners of a TV channel in Peru on a plane and said ‘listen, I’m Nobby Solano’s agent – he’s getting married, do you fancy putting the wedding on?’ I was very shy, because a wedding is very private. But they said they’d pay for the food and drinks so they were more than welcome!”
More recently Solano made a brief cameo in Newcastle’s latest away kit video launch. Naturally, his famous trumpet was pressed to his lips. During his playing days, Solano would gig locally with the Geordie Latinos, while during his time at Aston Villa he would play Latin jazz duets with Dion Dublin.
He laughs at its mention. “People always ask me, ‘Nobby, where is your trumpet?’ I say, ‘Guys, if you hear me play the trumpet, you won’t be happy!’”
“I started to bring it into the training ground to p— the boys off. I used to call reserve manager Tommy Craig and leave a long message on my trumpet, so it was a little bit of fun for team spirit. But I love music – it’s my passion.”
Solano’s current gig is coaching, arriving at Blyth following a short stint in the Swedish second tier with AFC Eskilstuna earlier this year. Solano had one eye on coaching during his brief spell at Hartlepool under Mick Wadsworth back in 2011. Between 2015 and 2022 he was assistant with the Peruvian national team.
“Staying involved in football is not easy,” Solano explains when asked why Blyth. “There are so many great coaches, ex-players, waiting for opportunities. So, I’m very grateful and proud to have this opportunity.
“I heard all the time about this club, even when I was a player at Newcastle. People would say to me ‘Hey, this guy plays for Blyth’ – a lot of players used to work in the pubs around Newcastle.”
Blyth’s Croft Park may not quite match Newcastle’s home 14 miles away, but it is dripping in 125 years of history. They have reached the FA Cup third round twice in the past 15 years, although are back in the Northern Premier League following relegation from the National League North last season.
A summer takeover by local businessman Irfan Liaquat has renewed optimism. Solano, alongside former Leicester City team-mate Steve Howard – who is the club’s sporting director – is tasked with restoring the good times.
“It’s my first experience working with part-time players,” Solano admits. “I love to be every day on the pitch. But it’s the way it is.
“I told these boys I appreciate what they’re doing. It’s amazing – the passion to go to work, train and play football at the weekend is amazing.
“When I arrived, we only had nine players. We are building slowly. First, we want to bring stability, then win a few games, and then we will see what happens.”