Mark Noble will call time on his career at West Ham at the end of this season, and what a time Mr West Ham has had with his boyhood club.
The Irons captain will depart east London this month, with Noble spending 18 years at West Ham and acting as skipper for the Premier League side since 2015, with the midfielder leaving in what could be the club’s most historic season during his career.
A European semi-final coupled with another strong push for a top-seven league finish would be the perfect way for Noble to end his time with West Ham, and HITC Sport takes a look back at the 34-year-old’s best moments with the Hammers.
Noble bags his first goal for the Irons
You always remember your first, and for Noble, the first of his 63 goals for West Ham came in 2007 against Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup, with the midfielder playing alongside the likes of Carlos Tevez, Yossi Benayoun and Carlton Cole.
It was a historic day for the young midfielder, and whilst Noble isn’t known for his goalscoring, the West Ham legend would go on to score some big goals for the Irons over the years against some big opposition.
West Ham’s return to the Premier League
2011 saw West Ham relegated to the Championship, yet despite moving on given his quality and interest from other clubs, Noble stayed on in east London and played a huge role in the Irons’ immediate return to the Premier League.
Eight goals in the league remains Noble’s best tally in a single season, and the midfielder was named the club’s Player of the Season as West Ham returned to the Premier League after a dramatic play-off final win against Blackpool.
Noble joins West Ham folklore in testimonial match
Testimonial matches are a dying art form in the world of football, yet Noble remains one of the few players still playing today that has had one in recent years, with the midfielder’s taking place at Upton Park in a West Ham All-Star game.
Scoring in a 6-5 win, Noble starred for a West Ham XI against a side of former players including the likes of David James, Rio Ferdinand, Paolo Di Canio and Trevor Sinclair, with the midfielder joining the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking in having a testimonial as an Iron.
Noble causes mayhem against Manchester United
The 2015/16 season was West Ham’s last at Upton Park and a year that saw the Irons finish sixth in the Premier League under Slaven Bilic and the magic of Dimitri Payet, and whilst Noble was also fantastic this campaign, one moment sticks out.
In the final game at the Boleyn Ground against Manchester United, Noble quite literally dragged Ander Herrera off his feet to stop the Spaniard from time-wasting as West Ham went on to win 3-2 against the Red Devils in a perfect send-off for the historic ground.
Mr West Ham breaks the internet against Leicester City
Noble’s role as West Ham’s main penalty taker have meant that the majority of the midfielder’s goal tally has come from spot-kicks, yet there’s no denying that the Irons’ captain’s best-ever strike came against Leicester City in 2018.
A failed set-piece saw the ball fall perfectly to Noble, who volleyed first-time to beat Kasper Schmeichel with a perfect shot that left the West Ham team stunned and sent the away end into absolute bedlam.
Noble levels Di Canio’s West Ham Premier league record
Noble has only bagged one goal for West Ham this season, that coming in a 4-1 win against Watford, yet that strike made Irons history for the midfielder, something the skipper seems to do on the regular.
The goal against the Hornets made it 47 Premier League goals for Noble, levelling the midfielder with West Ham icon Paolo Di Canio as the club’s second-highest Premier League goalscorer, with the 34-year-old now seven off Michail Antonio.
The captain’s last European bow
A European final would have been the dream finale for Noble’s time at West Ham, though despite appearing in the Europa League run to the semi-final, David Moyes’ side fell just short in the semi-finals against Eintracht Frankfurt.
A 3-1 aggregate win for the Bundesliga side saw West Ham’s dream journey in Europe come to a crashing end, and for Noble, it is disappointing that the club captain and legend will not be able to lead his boyhood side out for a major continental final.
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