Kenedy Says Newcastle Loan Move is 'Dream Come True'

New loan signing Kenedy says the chance to play for Newcastle is a "dream come true".

The 21-year-old midfielder arrived on Tyneside on January 23 as Newcastle's first signing of the January transfer window.

He said: "When I was a child, I used to play with my friends in the streets and I always dreamt [of] being in a club like this one. And now the dream has come true.

"It's a really important time in my career and I hope I can do my best. I'm here to learn and show my potential is not just potential, but that I can do things in the future."

Kenedy got his big chance when Chelsea paid Fluminese £6.3m for him in July 2015, although his opportunities at Stamford Bridge have been limited to date.

He was given a formal warning by the FA for his comments on social media which also saw him sent home from Chelsea's pre-season tour of China.

A colourful character, he boasts a series of tattoos, one of which reads, "Forgive me, mum, for my crazy life".

He grew up idolising Adriano, Romario and Ronaldo, and admits some of his knowledge of his current club comes courtesy of the film trilogy Goal, in which a young player from Los Angeles gets his big break at Newcastle.

Kenedy learned his football playing on the streets on his native Brazil, but revealed he had to make sacrifices early on.

"I left home at the age of eight or nine. My uncle was my manager, and he gave me the chance to play for Fluminense. Then, I moved to Europe when I was 19.

"I moved from Santa Rita do Sapucai, a city in the countryside in Minas Gerais, to Rio de Janeiro. It's about 300 miles, more or less the same as from Newcastle to London."

Asked if he was scared by the prospect of moving so far from home at that age, he replied: "No, it was fine, it was okay for me."

SOURCE: All Football