Marcelino Núñez Mocks Former Club During Ipswich Promotion Celebration
Ipswich Town star Marcelino Núñez made a bold statement during the club’s promotion celebration to the Premier League, mocking his former team Norwich City. The Chilean international, who spent three years at Carrow Road before joining Ipswich in a reported £10m move last summer, became the first player to switch between the two East Anglian rivals in 24 years.
Núñez’s decision to leave Norwich was described as an “extremely difficult decision” by the Canaries, with the club acknowledging the emotional impact on their fans. However, the 26-year-old has since played a key role in helping Ipswich secure their return to the top flight, finishing as Championship runners-up.
Kieran McKenna’s side clinched promotion on the final day of the season with a 3-0 victory over QPR, marking a successful first attempt at reaching the Premier League. The Tractor Boys celebrated with an open-top bus parade on Monday, where Núñez took the opportunity to taunt his former club.
During the parade, Núñez joined in the chants of “We are going up,” but then surprised and amused the crowd by shouting “f*** off Norwich” into the microphone. He continued with a rallying cry: “Come on Tractor Boys, we are ready for the Premier [League], let’s go.”
This was not the first time Núñez had rubbed salt into the wounds of Norwich fans. In October, he was booed after coming on as a substitute in the first derby of the season, which Ipswich won 3-0. Núñez celebrated by posing with a banner referencing a Norwich fan’s tweet from his time at the club, which read, “Nunez – just build the statue already.” He also waved a corner flag around in celebration.
The Chilean was again met with boos when he returned to Carrow Road for a 2-0 victory. McKenna was forced to bring Núñez off just 23 minutes after he had come on as a substitute, with the manager admitting he feared the player might be sent off after picking up a booking and committing two more fouls.
Ashley Young, who is set to retire from football, shared insights during Ipswich’s parade about the team’s celebrations following their promotion. “There’s been a lot of drinking, a lot of celebrating,” Young told Sky Sports. He added that the promotion was the “perfect way to go out.”
Young highlighted the importance of humility, stating, “A lot was said about us this season, we all bounced back, but I knew what we had in that dressing room.”
Ipswich finished second in the Championship, 11 points behind champions Coventry City, but secured automatic promotion by finishing one point ahead of Millwall. The achievement marks a significant milestone for the club as they prepare for the challenges of the Premier League.
