Former Newcastle defender Olivier Bernard says his partnership with Laurent Robert down the Magpies' left-hand side was 'perfect'.
Bernard joined Newcastle from Lyon in 2000 and established himself as the club's first choice left-back under Sir Bobby Robson.
The 39-year-old was part of the Magpies side who twice qualified for the Champions League and reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals before his departure in 2005.
During that time, he established a brilliant partnership down the left-hand side with winger Laurent Robert.
It was a relationship that stretched beyond the pitch with the two becoming good friends and Bernard says he understood Robert's game perfectly.
"It was a perfect partnership with Laurent," Bernard told nufc.co.uk.
"We stayed together nearly 24/7 when we were at the club. We had our respective families but he was always coming around to my house and vice-versa and we'd go almost everywhere with each other.
"That definitely helped with our relationship on the pitch. I knew Laurent by heart - I knew when he would or wouldn't track back and I could understand his game perfectly. We had a fantastic togetherness on the left-hand side of the pitch.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, Laurent was one of, if not, the best partner I had during my entire career. He was a player who could make things happen by himself. His left foot was lethal and, on his day, he was unplayable and could win lots of games. He was a big player for Newcastle at that time and he managed to do very well for the club. He was a pleasure to play with."
