Ex-Newcastle star had no income and was on benefits but has finally found peace 10 years on

Ex-Newcastle United midfielder Gael Bigirimana. Inset left: In action for Glentoran and (right) with the EFL Trophy at Wembley with Coventry City

When Newcastle United make the trip down to the Midlands to take on Coventry City on Monday evening, there will be one man watching from afar who has a foot firmly in both camps.

Gael Bigirimana burst on to the scene at the CBS Arena as a teenager and his exploits as a teenager for Coventry caught the eye of Newcastle who made their move in the summer of 2012.

Bigirimana spent four years on Tyneside to mixed degrees of success but his story since leaving St James' Park is an incredible one. He returned to Coventry for a second spell which saw him win a trophy but beyond that he has taken in spells in Scotland, non-league, Tanzania and Northern Ireland, via a broken down move to Croatia and financial troubles that led to him claiming benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.

He has now rebuilt his life, on and off the pitch, in Northern Ireland where he is thriving as a player at Dungannon Swifts. This time last year, Bigirimana sat down for a brilliant chat with Chronicle Live and as two of his former clubs prepare to do battle in the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, you can read Bigirimana's story below.

When Gael Bigirimana joined Newcastle United as a teenager from Coventry City in the summer of 2012, hopes were high that the Magpies had landed one of the most promising young players in English football.

Bigirimana joined Newcastle having just been named the EFL Apprentice of the Year and quickly made an impression at first-team level as Alan Pardew's side juggled Premier League and Europa League football.

But for a multitude of reasons, things never quite worked out at St James' Park and his career since has been an incredible mix of trophy-winning highs and desperate lows which saw him rely on benefit income during the Coronavirus pandemic.

It is a career that has taken him from Scotland to Belfast, with spells in Solihull, Tanzania, as well as an Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Burundi and a failed transfer move to Croatia along the way, too.

Now 32, Bigirimana has found peace and stability in Northern Ireland, where he captained Dungannon Swifts to victory in the Northern Irish Cup final in 2025.

Throughout it all, his strong Christian faith has been unwavering and when Chronicle Live spoke to him over the phone from his home, Bigirimana started our hour-long chat with a prayer.

Naturally, our conversation began about his decision to leave Coventry, who had just been relegated to League One, as an 18-year-old to join a Newcastle side who had just narrowly missed out on qualification to the Champions League.

"When the decision was made I was excited for such an opportunity," Bigirimana exclusively told Chronicle Live.

"Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba were on fire that previous season, the team was flying and there was such hope. Cheick Tiote was at that time regarded as one of the best holding midfielders in the world and Yohan Cabaye was playing for France at the Euros.

"For me, I was a hungry young boy who loved football and believed I was coming to Newcastle for a purpose. I wanted to grab my opportunity.

"When I was there, there wasn’t regret but when you grow old you become wise and help other players through decisions I made.

"Who knows, if I went to Newcastle after another two seasons with Coventry I would have helped the club even more than I did when I was there. I would have handled things differently."

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With hindsight, Bigirimana feels the move perhaps came two years too early but that didn't stop him making an immediate impact on the side.

Pardew handed the youngster 25 appearances across all competitions in his first season on Tyneside and he heavily featured throughout Newcastle's run to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Perhaps the highlight was a stunning goal he scored against Wigan Athletic in a 3-0 win, something he holds among the best memories of his career.

"The goal against Wigan, that is something as a kid, me being born in Africa and not having the means in Burundi to watch the Premier League before moving to Uganda, I never dreamed I would be playing with Shola Ameobi when I was in Africa watching him," Bigirimana added.

"Then when I came to England and watching Alan Shearer and all these guys at St James’ Park, it never crossed my mind I would be on that pitch but not only be able to be on the pitch but to score that goal in front of the Sky Sports cameras. It was such a memorable time with some incredibly talented players."

Gael Bigirimana pictured scoring for Newcastle United against Wigan Athletic(Image: PA)

Bigirimana's game time dwindled significantly and after loan spells with Rangers and Coventry, he moved back to join the Sky Blues on a permanent basis in 2016.

While he could not prevent their relegation to League Two, a day after his first child was born, Bigirimana scored in the EFL Trophy final as Coventry beat Oxford United 2-1 to lift the cup at Wembley Stadium.

The win came a month after Mark Robins was re-appointed as the club's manager and he enjoyed unparalleled success at the Ricoh Arena, guiding Coventry to two promotions and within a penalty shootout of reaching the FA Cup final and winning promotion to the Premier League.

Bigirimana left the club in the summer of 2017 to join Motherwell and missed out on Coventry's rapid rise through the divisions. But he takes solace from the fact he played such an important role in the EFL Trophy win that he believes was the catalyst for their success.

"That season, the club had such instability. We had a very talented team and some great players on loan and were playing some nice attractive football.

"But we couldn’t put teams to bed and we found ourselves in a relegation battle and I think it was about three months before the end of the season that Mr Mark Robins took over and it was a fresh start.

"I was in the team and everybody took a leap forward in terms of their performance and we started playing well and getting results but it was probably too little too late in the league.

"But we got to the final of the Checkatrade Trophy and for Coventry it was 30 years since they won the FA Cup at the old Wembley. We got a massive turnout from the fans and it felt like a major final. For me, for us, it was bigger than the Checkatrade Trophy.

Gael Bigirimana broke on to the scene with Coventry City

"Unfortunately we got relegated and there were other factors that caused me not to stay. I wanted to stay but things went bad when we were negotiating.

"The club is in an amazing place now and I look back and sometimes you have to be the one that begins the revival. I might not have been part of the glory of their promotions but I look back, and even Mr Robins says, that final was the catalyst to begin the revival of where the club is now and the success they have enjoyed in recent years."

It was after the second time Bigirimana left Coventry that his career started taking a dramatic turn. A successful 18-month spell at Motherwell saw him move to Scottish Premiership rivals Hibernian in January 2019 where he only managed to make one appearance.

It meant he headed into the summer of 2019 without a club when he represented Burundi at the Africa Cup of Nations in their first ever appearance in the competition.

They lost all three group games and were eliminated but Bigirimana felt he had performed well on an individual level on a major stage and was hopeful offers would follow.

Bigirimana playing for Burundi at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations(Image: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Bigirimana had his heart set on a return to England but no offers were forthcoming. He ended up training with National League side Solihull Moors before signing a two-month contract which ended at the start of the January transfer window to ensure he had some income.

At the time, Bigirimana's wife was pregnant with their second child and they had moved back in with his in-laws in Coventry after leaving Scotland.

The January window rolled around and the offers, again, weren't forthcoming. A trial with a 'mid-table club' in Croatia followed but the move fell through with Bigirimana waiting to board his plane out there.

It was a period Bigirimana described as one of the 'hardest' of his life.

"That was a real challenge," he added. "I was in the fire and being tested. That transfer window came and I was out of contract again. I went on trial to a mid-table team in Croatia. The trial went well, everything was agreed and I went home to tell my wife we would be moving to Croatia.

"I was waiting to board the plane back out there and I rang the coach to check if there was going to be someone waiting for me on the other side.

"He said: ‘Where are you?’ and I told him I was waiting to board the plane and he told me not to board the plane.

"That day their striker had got injured and he told me they had to wait to see if the injury was long term. If it was, the move would no longer be on. He said he would get back to me if it was and that was how that ended.

"I had to get the people at the airport to get my bag out of the plane. This was at the end of January and by the end of February, Covid hit.

"I had no club, no income and we had to rely on benefit income. Some people might say: ‘Where was all the money you earned at Newcastle?’ But I invested money into something which turned out to be a wrong investment and turned out to be a Ponzi scheme."

In the summer of 2020, Bigirimana's former manager at Motherwell helped him secure a move to Glentoran in Northern Ireland where he managed to get his career back on track.

After two seasons in Belfast, the opportunity arose for him to return to Africa to sign with Tanzanian Premier League champions Young Africans.

The appeal of coming back to Africa to play was huge but it was a 'culture shock' for his family. Things didn't quite go to plan, though, and he was de-registered just six months into his stay.

With Bigirimana just wanting to play football regularly, he reached out to Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree, and the rest is history.

An initial loan move turned into a permanent stay and Bigirimana has never felt so fulfilled on and off the pitch. On the pitch he captains the team and is playing regularly.

Off the pitch, he is happy, says his family have fallen in love with living in Northern Ireland and he has launched his own coaching business, where he feels experiences at Newcastle and beyond can help the next generation.

"I am happy. I have always tried to help every club I have been at in any way I can and have a positive impact. Even touching on Newcastle, the young boys that came through I hope I had a good impact on them.

"The likes of Sean Longstaff, knowing I helped his development and the likes of Adam Armstrong and all these other guys, I have always loved being at a club and working with young players.

"Being here at Dungannon, I want to try and help the club and the younger players in any way I can. I thank God that I am in the right place to help this club and to make history and bring success to the club that they haven’t had for so many years.

"We won the Irish Cup and I am surrounded by incredible team-mates and staff and the town. I am just at peace. I know I am where I am meant to be right now.

"Qualifying for the Conference League (qualifying rounds) with such a club, no amount of money I have had at other clubs, I have never felt so fulfilled."

It may not have been a straightforward path but Bigirimana has finally found his right destination. He hopes his journey is an inspiration and a lesson for the next generation.