Wijnaldum and Sissoko have gone from Newcastle relegation to Champions League game-changers

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Gigi Wijnaldum netted two goals off the substitutes bench as Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 against the odds last night to qualify for the Champions League final.

The former Newcastle man may have been a little gutted not to have played from the start but made his introduction count in the biggest possible way.

And another former Magpie who made an outstanding contribution from the bench in the Champions League was Moussa Sissoko.

He was introduced in place of Jan Vertonghen in the first half of Tottenham’s semi-final first leg against Ajax last week, and transformed a side who had been limp and lifeless up to that point.

But both men were relegated as part of Newcastle’s midfield in the 2015-16 season, after which the shambolic start made by Steve McClaren could not be turned around in time by Rafa Benitez.

To get the club back on an even financial footing to fund an assault on the Championship, both men left St James’ Park and their journeys since have taken right up to the rarefied air of elite European football.

They have progressed far beyond the level they were at at Newcastle, and if Sissoko can be part of a Tottenham team who can produce something special tonight, they could yet face off in the final in Madrid in June.