Sandro Tonali names surprise Newcastle player as his "most underrated teammate ever"
Happy birthday to Sandro Tonali. The Italian turns 25 today and we'd like to wish our midfield maestro a great day!
He's been absolutely sensational this season and will have a huge part to play in our push for Champions League football, with Sunday's meeting with Chelsea the first of three cup finals for Eddie Howe's Mags.
This week, Tonali has been chatting to Fubo TV in a quick-fire Q&A, which featured a few Newcastle-related answers from the former AC Milan star. And one of those may be an eyebrow-raiser for a few on Tyneside...
Tonali's surprise selection
Sandro Tonali has named fellow Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff as THE most underrate player he's ever played with.
Longstaff hasn't started a league game since the turn of the year and appears to have slipped down to sixth choice in Eddie Howe's midfield pecking order.
He's out of contract in 12 months time, leaving both Leeds and Everton to eye up a cut-price move for the 27-year-old, who Tonali clearly rates highly.
After naming Gennaro Gattuso as his footballing idol and Zlatan Ibrahmovic as the best player he ever played alongside, Tonali didn't hesitate when naming Sean Longstaff as his "most underrated teammate ever." Watch the short Q&A below:
❓ “Who was your most underrated teammate ever?”
⚫️⚪️ Sandro Tonali: “Sean Longstaff” #NUFC
— NUFCBlog.co.uk (@NUFCblogcouk) May 8, 2025
It's also interesting to see Tonali mention his first game for Newcastle as a moment in football that made him cry, although it's not clear if he meant his debut against Aston Villa or first game back from a ban away to Nottingham Forest.
Former Toon striker "shocked" by Longstaff
Considering the criticism Longstaff has received from some sections of the fanbase, Tonali's comments may come as a surprise, although he isn't the first to say it.
Speaking on the SDS podcast, recently released striker Michael Ndiweni named Longstaff alongside Emil Krafth as one of the most under-appreciated Mags he played alongside at Newcastle.
"Someone who I was actually shocked at the first time I went was Sean Longstaff. Sean Longstaff is a good player man.”
“Short passing, everything, he’s zipping the ball. Obviously I’m coming from the 21s, the 18s, whatever, the passes are gonna be a bit slower.
"But you receive the ball from him, he’ll zip it in. Zip it into him, he’ll deal with it and pass it. Can progress the ball, such good passing.”
