Newcastle United FC On SI

This Dan Burn’s Treat Poises Him As The Xavi or Kroos for English Football

The international break showed England the importance of Dan Burn, one of the veterans who has been key to Newcastle United’s success, setting him as the unlikely hero whose name could be among Xavi Hernandez and Toni Kroos.

Nazario Assad De Leon

Dan Burn
Dan Burn / IMAGO / NurPhoto

Dan Burn may be in the near end part of his career, but it really feels as if his prime is just about to arrive, and his latest performance with the English National Team was just the proof of that.

Newcastle United’s season has been one of the best stories in Europe, having them back in the UEFA Champions League after a long time away, and now the 33-year-old centre back is putting his mark on Thomas Tuchel's playstyle.

The Magpie was one of the surprising names in the Three Lions squad summoned for the international break due to his leadership and bright performances at St. James’ Park, where he is beloved.

After a stellar goal in the past UEFA Champions League match against Athletic Bilbao, Dan earned his turn to prove himself with the National Team for the UEFA Qualifiers.

Burn’s Performance Was Historic In English Football

Newcastle United crest
IMAGO / Dreamstime

After waiting on the bench in the first match against Serbia, where England won 2-0, Tuchel gave Burn the chance to play in the last match of the Qualifiers against Albania, where his team also won the match by a two-goal difference.

Dan played the whole match for the English team, but his performance on the pitch was not just good; it was historic for England and for UEFA purposes. Yes, a Newcastle player leaving a mark in the biggest stages, as it should be.

According to OptaJoe, across the last five UEFA World Cup qualifying campaigns, Burn achieved the second-most successful passes per 90 minutes in a single campaign for qualifiers.

Burn ended with a ratio of 116 successful passes per 90 minutes, beating a legendary midfielder like Toni Kroos, who had 114 in the UEFA Qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup.

The English defender was just shy of the Spaniard and iconic Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez, who completed 125 succesful passes for the UEFA 2014 Qualifying campaign.

With this achievement by Burn, his time playing for England should only be increasing, and the upcoming 2026 World Cup arrives at the best timing possible for the Newcastle leader in the defence, who will be extremely motivated to keep performing as he has this season.

Read More:

feed

Published |Modified
Nazario Assad De Leon
NAZARIO ASSAD DE LEON

Nazario Assad is a Mexican sports writer possessing extensive knowledge of Mexican football and profound expertise in Concacaf and European football. He has over ten years of experience creating content and writing about leagues such as Liga MX, Spain, England, and Italy. Furthermore, his journalistic career includes covering events such as the FIFA World Cup, NFL Super Bowl, Formula 1, and PGA Golf.