Ex-Newcastle hero Jonas Gutierrez on cancer battle and staying in the Premier League

Former Newcastle fan favourite Jonas Gutierrez speaks exclusively to Ladbrokes about his time at the Magpies, his recovery with testicular cancer and his emotional St James' Park farewell, which saw him to score the goal that saved the club from Premier League relegation against West Ham in 2014-15.

• “When you don’t know too much, you hear the word cancer and feel, ‘OK, that is cancer, and you're going to die.’ … I didn't know if I was going to be able to play football again.”

• “I was feeling better that the cancer was gone, but that was only the start. … Getting back on to the pitch gave me a target as well, it helps you to push through something as earth-shaking.”

• “When I was told that I had cancer, I knew from the way that some people treated me in the club that they didn’t want me there, so I knew that I wouldn’t be staying past the end of the season.”

• “I was thinking relegation is not going to happen. I won’t let that happen. I'm ready. I want to do my best. I wanted to be on the pitch for all 90 minutes because I knew that I had something special in store for that day – it's something that you can't feel inside.”

• “When I scored…all the players, the fans, the city could relax and say, ‘OK, it's done. We’re safe.’ … [The referee] came over to me holding out the yellow card, and he said, ‘Sorry, but I have to do it.’ I was smiling and just said, ‘Yeah, I understand, I understand!’”

I first noticed something wasn’t right towards the end of the 2013/14 season after a challenge. I went on holiday and had this little pain that didn't go away, so when I returned to the club for preseason, I spoke with the doctor about what I was feeling.

He told me that, in that moment, he didn't see anything and said that nothing is strange. So I started training as usual, but after playing one week, I had an inflammation in my testicles. I went to the doctor again and said, ‘listen, this is not normal. This is not good.’ After that, he sent me to a specialist, who did a few tests.

The day after that, they called to say that I had to go to have a meeting with them, and it was there where they told me that I had cancer. It was hard. It was also hard because it was something that I didn’t have much information about to be honest.

When you don’t know too much, you hear the word cancer and feel, ‘OK, that is cancer, and you're going to die.’ That’s something that you feel because you don't have much information. So at the beginning it was an impact to have that news.

But I always try to be so positive, so after that, I started talking with my family and my doctor to make sure I had the best treatment I could have in that moment.

I didn't know if I was going to be able to play football again, but the first thing that I wanted was to be in recovery. So I listened 100% to the doctor, to the specialist, and did all the things that they told me to do.

Well, as it turned out, it was a few months of treatment. It was hard, but I always try to be positive. So that, I think, was one of the main things I say to people: be positive, try to never be down, to try to help the recovery from cancer.

To be honest, the recovery was step by step, day by day, and all the news they had for me was good. So I went from not knowing if I could play football again to not knowing if I was going to be able to play football in one month, two months, a year…

I was feeling better that the cancer was gone, but that was only the start. Then I had to build my fitness again because the chemotherapy is hard for the body. So I was just trying to think day by day, and my body gradually started feeling better and better and better.

When I arrived back at the club, it was, like, ‘OK, let’s go. Let’s see what's happened.’ And the body was feeling really good. Getting back on to the pitch gave me a target as well, it helps you to push through something as earth-shaking.

To be honest, as soon I started recovering and the doctor told me that the cancer had gone, in that moment I started thinking, ‘OK, now we see what's happened with this.’ I was confident that I was going to be able to play again after the good news.

When I was told that I had cancer, I knew from the way that some people treated me in the club that they didn’t want me there, so I knew that I wouldn’t be staying past the end of the season. So that was that, but as I’ve said before, I love Newcastle. I love the city. It's one of my favourite places in the world.

It’s so hard when you know that they don't want you. But even then, I tried to do my best to help the team to win games because that was my main thing in that moment. I was focused on that and wasn’t thinking about the next year. I was just focusing on keeping up Newcastle – that was the best thing that I could do.

And to be honest, in the final weeks of the season when we were having a hard time, I was really confident! I was really confident in my fitness as well because I was growing day by day, getting stronger and stronger.

When we got to the last game, I knew that it would probably be my last game for the club, so I was thinking relegation is not going to happen. I won’t let that happen. I'm ready. I want to do my best.

I wanted to be on the pitch for all 90 minutes because I knew that I had something special in store for that day – it's something that you can't feel inside. It was an incredible atmosphere that day, so you couldn’t pick a better moment to finish my career with Newcastle.

It has to be that game because it was the best for me at the club where I made so many great memories. I was so emotional that it was my last game, so to play like that was fantastic.

All the players and staff knew the situation that we were in during the last few weeks of the season, so when I scored, we knew that, finally, it's done because it was the second. It's like you, all the players, the fans, the city could relax and say, ‘OK, it's done. We’re safe.’

And I had something to say to a few people – to a person who was in the stands, you know. So it was, like, we’ve done it, and it was the absolute best moment.

I took my shirt off because I was so happy. The referee, Martin Atkinson, apologised to me for booking me! He came over to me holding out the yellow card, and he said, ‘Sorry, but I have to do it.’ I was smiling and just said, ‘Yeah, I understand, I understand!’ It was a funny, funny moment. The best booking of my career!

After an upturn in fortunes in the decade since Gutierrez's departure, Newcastle have swapped relegation battles to becoming regular contenders for the Champions League.

The Magpies are currently backed by the bookies to seal Champions League qualification once again.

There has also been an update on the health of Eddie Howe as the Toon boss continues to battle with pneumonia, with reports Newcastle are looking at a contingency plan in case he is unavailable for the rest of the season.

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