The Newcastle United player everyone's talking about
A year ago, Lewis Hall was on crutches facing up to a season-ending injury. Today, he’s one of the best young left-backs in the game, as underlined by his performance against Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
Twelve months ago, things were a little different for one Newcastle United player.
Eddie Howe’s squad was preparing for the Carabao Cup final, but this member of the playing staff was preparing for surgery, having suffered a season-ending injury.
The player, of course, was Lewis Hall.
Hall was not even able to attend the final at Wembley, as he had had foot surgery the day before. He had to watch what would turn out to be a historic game on TV like so many Newcastle fans.
That was tough on the left-back, who had got into his stride, and played his part in the club’s run to the final, in his second season after initially finding starts hard to come by after joining from Chelsea, at first on loan, in 2023.
Success in football is not represented on a chart by a straight, upward line, it is often jagged, going up and down, and Hall has had to overcome challenges to get to where he is today.
And, the thing is, he can get even better.
Hall was competing with Dan Burn, like him a boyhood Newcastle, for a place at left-back when he joined the club. Hall, though, grew up in Berkshire, not Blyth, his allegiance to the club coming from his rugby-playing dad’s side of the family.
He and his elder brother Connor – who also became a professional footballer – used to wear black and white tops for their garden kickabouts.
Wearing a protective boot and using crutches, Hall was able to watch his sibling play for Brackley Town at South Shields late last season. Playing Champions League football would have seemed a long way off for Hall as he struggled up the stairs to his seat for the National League North game.
Hall, though, was back up and running last summer, and this season the Hall family have been back at St James’ Park to watch fit-again Lewis, presumably one of the first names on the team sheet given his form.
It is easy to forget that Hall is only 21 years of age, such is his influence on the pitch. He’s been football’s archetypal “Mr Consistent” this season, with and without the ball.
Hall started his career as a midfielder, and that football education in a different position has served him well. The Slough-born player has a dynamism and drive in possession, and he’s adept at getting out of tight spots, as explained by Connor.
“He’s a technical player, and I’m a bit rough round the edges,” he told The Sun last year. “Whenever he gets the ball in tight areas, I’m like ‘oh!’, but he always seems to get out of it.”
Newcastle fans have been lauding Hall – who made his senior England debut last season – for some time, but it is not only the club’s fanbase who are talking about him now.
Hall’s performance in Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw against Barcelona at St James’ Park has got him a lot more attention, not least because he kept Lamine Yamal, runner-up to Ousmane Dembele in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, quiet for 90 minutes.
Hall, quiet and unassuming off the pitch, lets his feet do his talking on the field, and, time again, he got the better of Yamal, who made little impact in open play.
Unfortunately for Howe’s side, Yamal was able to claim a draw with a late, late penalty won by Dani Olmo.
Hall posted a photograph on Instagram after the game with the caption: "A performance to be proud of last night. Still all to play for".
Captain Bruno Guimaraes, sidelined with an injury replied: “Best in the world.”
When Newcastle signed Kieran Trippier, also in the starting XI against Barcelona, the right-back was arguably in the world-class bracket, and there cannot be many better left-backs in the game than Hall.