If you ever get frustrated stuck behind a lorry, it might be worth thinking twice before you beep if you’re a Newcastle fan – or going mad if you support Sunderland.
That’s because Magpies star Matt Ritchie has today passed his Category C driving licence test, which will allow him to drive lorries professionally.
Ritchie, 34, is likely coming towards the end of his top-level football career and has only been a bit-part player for the last few seasons. His contract is up in June.
But that’s no worry for him, as he is now qualified to whizz around in bin trucks, tipper trucks, and other heavy-duty vehicles.
He passed with the Tyne & Wear LGV Driver Training Centre and will be back for a more advanced certificate.
Newcastle star Matt Ritchie (right), 34, has passed his training to be a lorry driver
He is coming towards the end of his football career but is now qualified for lorry-driving jobs afterwards
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It looks as if Ritchie even bought the trainers a sweet treat as a thank-you for helping him through his journey.
A post on the centre’s Facebook page shows a gift from Build A Bake, a bespoke cake maker from Jesmond, a Newcastle suburb.
Fans have joked he could even be driving the Newcastle team bus next year.
‘New contract for Ritchie as team bus driver,’ one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
‘When they said Ritchie might get a job as a coach I didn’t think they meant driver,’ another quipped.
One said: ‘When he got told to park the bus he took it literally, fair play.’
Whether many of his football skills are transferrable to his new trade remains to be seen – perhaps his international trips on Scotland duty will have prepared him for long-haul drives.
Fans have been joking about how Ritchie could be Newcastle’s team bus driver next year
In 2023, the number of lorry drivers in the UK was around 304,000 as per the Office for National Statistics.
Ritchie may well be hoping to make that number 304,001.
