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Keith Gillespie believed his destination was for a meal.

But those nearest to him organized something else entirely—a secret gathering in recent months.

And a special guest flew in from South America for the occasion.

“The doors opened, immediately visible was Tino Asprilla,” Gillespie mentioned. “He stood waiting expecting my arrival. The moment was magical as he is a person you wouldn’t anticipate meeting in such a setting.”

“It was a wonderful shock,” Gillespie expressed. “It meant a lot for him to travel so far to attend the event.”

Close to three decades since both players wreaked havoc in black and white facing Barça.

However, true connections remain unbroken.

“There was immediate chemistry,” Gillespie said.

Now, as Newcastle prepare to face the Catalan giants anew, Asprilla will be in attendance in Newcastle this week.

‘Asprilla possessed a certain gaze’

Actually, the squad gelled perfectly back in September 1997.

Despite being the club’s debut in the main tournament, but former defender the Belgian stated “we had nothing to lose because Barcelona were the big favourites.”

The goalkeeper, guarding the net, suggested that the opposition “expected an easy win to defeat us.”

That wasn’t to be the case at a rocking St James' Park.

“I’d never experienced an atmosphere like that before,” the keeper expressed. “Unbelievable.”

However, it wasn’t guaranteed that match-winner Asprilla would play – let alone score a hat-trick in his side's 3-2 victory.

The winger reflected how the Colombian “came back tardily from international duty the previous weekend which led to speculation he could be excluded.”

However, coach Kenny did not exactly have a plethora of options for the forward line.

The star striker was out due to an ankle issue while Les Ferdinand moved to Tottenham a short time earlier.

No wonder, veteran Warren Barton remembered “Dalglish opting for an opportunity.”

It was hardly an optimal situation for a match of this magnitude, however, he noticed Tino seemed “in the zone” during the match.

“Asprilla tended to be silent ahead of kickoff,” he said. “However, there was a magnetic presence a determined gaze. This was his stage.”

Soon Asprilla long to make an impact, earning a foul in the box and putting his side in front from the spot in the first half.

Immediately obvious that he was in the mood.

“Often it was evident early on which version of Tino would appear,” Gillespie said. “On occasion, he struggled, yet he excelled most of the time.”

Asprilla and Gillespie link up

Not only Tino that enjoyed a career-defining display.

Gillespie was the first that he felt somewhat intimidated observing the rivals before the game and noticed Rivaldo, Luis Figo, Luis Enrique and Ivan de la Pena waiting.

Yet he was unfamiliar with the left-back, who was rated as a elite full-back back then.

Gillespie wanted to test Sergi to test his pace.

After realizing he had the beating of Sergi, he constantly asked for receiving possession.

Rather than having a trick, he feinted as he was confident he could beat his man” and whipped the ball into the penalty box.

Tino finished it.

He didn’t just score once the lead via a powerful header, he made it 3-0 with a similar effort amazing the club’s owner speechless.

“He was extraordinary on that evening,” Hall stated. “You could see him hang in the air upon receiving the ball - and bang!”

Barça reduced the deficit, through Luis Enrique and Figo, but Newcastle held on. Narrowly.

It remains a legendary outcome in their storied past.

In some ways, it was rather fitting that Tino didn’t net again for Newcastle prior to his return to Italy shortly after.

What more could he do?

Barton labeled it the Colombian's "pinnacle".

The team dynamic alters

These were the nights the striker excelled.

It seemed accidental that the striker scored several goals on the continental stage compared to league matches.

His first appearance stood out following his £6.7m move from Italy.

He was not scheduled to play immediately after landing in winter conditions wearing exotic attire just days before.

He even helped himself to a glass of red wine before the game facing rivals.

But Kevin Keegan, then in charge, felt moved to introduce the new arrival seeing the team concede first on the road.

Tino then assisted Steve Watson's equaliser with his unique style changed the match with the top team secured a 2-1 victory.

“As soon as he came in, he made the difference,” Albert noted. “Only the great players are capable of this.”

{It gave Keegan food for thought|It made Keegan reconsider|