"It all began that morning. We knew the night before that me and Lomana were starting. I told him 'what an opportunity for us - let's go and make a statement'."
Newcastle's 2002/03 UEFA Champions League campaign proved a breakthrough one for Ameobi, a raw 21-year-old learning his footballing craft amongst a squad under Sir Bobby Robson's stewardship, littered with abundant experience and exciting youth which included the likes of Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy.
With the attacking duo unavailable to lead the line for United's trip to the BayArena, though, a makeshift strikeforce would be assembled as Ameobi and Lomana LuaLua were named in the starting 11 to face Bayer Leverkusen, who reached the Champions League final the season prior.
"That Champions League season was pivotal for me as it helped me have the confidence that I belonged at that level," Ameobi told newcastleunited.com. "I was still a young player finding my way and I was thrust into a situation where we lost our two first-choice strikers and I had to deliver.
"I remember fondly knowing it was an important position for me and certainly with the manager, Sir Bobby, who put a lot of trust in myself. I wanted to reward that and it came with a special moment, not just for myself but for the club as we had a squad of players who could do the job.
"We had a young squad with a core spine of Speedo [Gary Speed] and Shay [Given], and there was a sense this was a moment where we had to step up and, gladly, we did."
The responsibility was enormous but Ameobi, on target against FC Barcelona at the Nou Camp in Newcastle's previous Champions League game, was determined to repay Sir Bobby's unwavering trust in the Geordie striker, who lived a stone's throw away from St. James' Park as a young child.
Within five minutes, Ameobi struck with a clinical close-range header. All the early tension had evaporated in an instance and a night of uncertainty came a night of arrival, with the future Nigeria international scoring again ten minutes later.
"Rightly or wrongly, there was questioning in what would happen without our main strikers and we both made that statement," he reflected.
"I scored early on and that settled the nerves, allowing us both to play freely and I had the confidence to take my second goal like I did. It was a bit of validation after all the work I put in, not really getting the chances I wanted at the time and putting my best foot forward. It wasn't just for myself but for my teammates and how they viewed me.
"I think that changed after the game because they realised I could mix it against some of the best teams in Europe. When Leverkusen scored to make it 2-1, a young team can wobble sometimes but it was the best case scenario, as a pair, to then see Lomana get on the scoresheet."
After delivering a perfect gift on Sir Bobby's 70th birthday, one moment stood out above all for Ameobi.
"I remember the manager's face when I scored," he recalled whilst sat in the Sir Bobby Robson Room at United's Benton-based training centre. "I turned over to the bench and saw the sheer pride in his face. That's always been an abiding memory for me. There wasn't many times when I turned to look at the bench after scoring but I had that sense of assurance and validation for him in choosing to start us.
“Sir Bobby gave me that sense of belonging, that I was good enough to be involved in that environment and go out and do all the things he’d seen me do on the training pitch. Ultimately, it’s a process of transferring all your hard work and all he’s seen in training to a match day. That’s the battle you had to fight with yourself, knowing how to translate that confidence and he was unbelievable at giving you that belief.
“He spoke with such passion and you would run through a brick wall for him. On that morning, myself and Lomana knew we had to deliver, not only for the city and club but for the manager who had trusted us in such a huge moment. I stepped onto the pitch, with no feeling of trepidation, knowing it was a massive opportunity to show what I was about. When you play with fear, it can limit you but he helped to take that away."
Robson handed Ameobi his first-team debut as a teenager during a Premier League clash against Chelsea in 2000 and, like many players in which football's black and white knight worked with during his five-year spell on Tyneside, his warm and positive influence would, ultimately, help mould Ameobi into a striker who would go on to net 79 competitive goals for his boyhood club in a 14-year stint.
"It's well documented how brilliant a leader and man manager he was and, more importantly, how good of a person he was," he added. "He drove us and knew everything we needed as young players to develop in the game.
"He'd been at the highest level and every time we played in Europe, regardless of where we went, the carpet was rolled out for him because of his stature. That was something I never realised until we actually played in the Champions League and how big of a personality he was across the world.
"He was instrumental, not just from a development and performance stand point but helping me become a man. I know lots of his former players said that. He was a massive part of what I went on to become as a footballer in terms of what he instilled in all of us and how he wanted us to go about it, with the way we trained and the respect we had for the shirt, city and club."
Robson's pep talk before facing Bayer Leverkusen was simple, yet powerful, and played a significant part in allowing Ameobi to showcase his worth on Europe's biggest footballing stage.
"We know his famous [What is a club in any case?] quote and that's how much he could inspire you," he added. "The confidence he'd give you, explaining the reason why I'm in this position and wanting me to express myself and work as hard as I can, gave me so much belief when I stepped onto the pitch despite being a 21-year-old.
"He knew why you were there and had chosen you for a reason, developing a lot of young players. You have to trust them and I felt that sense of trust from him going into the match. To go over there and do that to them was not just a watershed moment for myself but also as a group knowing we belonged at this stage."
Ameobi, now working as the club's Loan Player Manager, is in regular contact with staff at United's training ground and sees numerous comparisons between Magpies head coach Eddie Howe and his former manager.
“From a cultural standpoint in how he works and the messages around high performance and a culture of ‘we, not me’, that was definitely what Sir Bobby was about," Ameobi added. "He understood what this meant, as a player, to the city and the fans.
“All the messages I came into, it’s also here in spades with Eddie. He’s a player developer and that’s what Sir Bobby was, developing young players into great ones, who went on to do great things. He also develops the person, too, and instils a culture that people thrive in and is all about the collective.
“He also has such a strong work ethic. Sir Bobby was also out there on the pitch with his shorts up in the rain or sun and lived for it, which is what Eddie is doing and the fact he develops everyone who comes through the door while he’s been in charge is very reminiscent of Sir Bobby."
Only Alan Shearer scored more goals on the European stage for Newcastle United than Ameobi, with the latter netting 15 times in 51 appearances as well as captaining his boyhood club during their 2012/13 Europa League campaign, scoring three goals as the Magpies reached the quarter-finals before bowing out against finalists Benfica.
From going toe-to-toe with Champions League winner Frank de Boer and future World Cup winner Carles Puyol at the Nou Camp to starting in memorable home victories against Dynamo Kyiv and Bayer Leverkusen, Ameobi lived the Geordie dream and believes the current crop of youngsters bidding to break in the senior side have an even trickier obstacle to tackle in solidifying a regular place as opposed to two decades ago.
“You didn’t realise how special it was at the time, coming into that group at the heights of where the club and squad was and thinking it would be like this for the next ten years, playing in Europe year on year," he reflected.
“Coming into the highest level, you had to push and the young lads, today, have to go above and beyond even more so to get into the squad which Lewis [Miley] has but it was such a wonderful time to develop and grow as a player.
“For me, that was what elite football looked like and I had to work out how to close that gap. Each and every day, that was my only thought in how I could get better.
"Everyone was pushing each other and you had players that you looked up to as a kid in the same dressing room, such as Alan [Shearer] and Speedo. You saw what it took to play at the highest level. It was a magical time to learn and being a part of it was so special."
