Santon worked under Jose Mourinho at the San Siro as the former Chelsea boss guided Inter Milan to an unprecedented treble of the Serie A title, Coppa Italia and Champions League.
Santon arrived at Newcastle but said he needed time before being thrust into the action ... something Pardew gave him ... but how many managers would?
He was a big money signing, and we were desperate for a quality full-back.
Even more frustrating was that Santon flew out to play for the Italian Under-21 side, despite sitting on the sidelines at St James' Park.
There are still rumours questioning how settled the defender is on Tyneside, but he insists he wants to be part of the future of NUFC.
Davide Santon: "I've always said he (Pardew) reminds me of Mourinho.
"They've got the same mentality and same will to win the way they study tactics, their meticulous preparations and the way they have team meetings before the game.
"That's the same as at Inter Milan.
"The preparation here is perfect and it's all geared towards winning.
"Alan Pardew is also excellent at getting the team spirit just right before games.
"I've been very impressed with him since I got here.
"I've always been happy here even when I've not been in the team because I realise the manager was giving me time to settle in and study the team.
"I like the mentality the manager's got with the way he studies the players, the way he thinks about the game, and the way he wants to win.
"When I arrived, I needed time to study the other players, see how they played and how I would fit into that.
"I also needed time to see how physical the game was. It took me some time to get used to things.
"It takes time to get used to a new league and a new team, but once I got over that I started to settle in."