John Fashanu is a british television presenter and former professional footballer. As a former footballer, John Fashanu served as a centre-forward from 1978 to 1995, including an eight-year spell at Wimbledon in which he won the FA Cup in 1988 and scored over 100 goals in all competitions. He was also twice capped at senior level by England. Moreover, he also played for Norwich City, Miramar Rangers, Lincoln City, Crystal Palace, Millwall and Aston Villa during his football career. He scored 134 league goals during a 17-year career. After retiring, he co-hosted the UK TV show Gladiators in the 1990s, and between 2003 and 2004 ran his own Sunday league football team Fash FC on Bravo. In January 2023, Fashanu was a contestant in the fifteenth series of ice dancing.
What is John Fashanu famous for?
- John Fashanu is a former footballer and TV presenter.
- John is best known for his eight-year stint as a striker at Wimbledon.
Who are John Fashanu’s parents?
John Fashanu was born on September 18, 1962 in Kensington, London, England. He holds British nationality and his ethnicity is Mixed. He is the son of Pearl Gopala nurse from British Guiana, and Patrick Fashanu, a Nigerian lawyer living in the UK. When his parents separated, he was sent, along with his older brother Justin, to the Barnardo nursing home. When he was five years old, he and his brother were raised by alf And Betty Jackson and were later bred at Shropham near Attleborough, Norfolk. He celebrated his 60th birthday on September 18, 2022. Virgo is his zodiac sign and he follows the Christian religion.
How was John Fashanu’s career?
Football career
- John Fashanu started his career with football. Initially, he joined Norwich City in 1979 and then turned professional in 1981. He managed just five league appearances and scored once in his 1981-82 season. He managed two appearances in the 1982–83 First Division campaign. After that, he had a brief loan spell with Crystal Palace from Norwich.
- Similarly, he played the English off-season in New Zealand with Miramar Rangers and made an appearance in the final of the local FA Cup equivalent, the Chatham Cup. Then he joined Lincoln City on a free transfer on September 23, 1983. He scored seven goals in 26 league games during the season. In his first season at The Den, he scored four goals in 25 games, helping the Lions reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. In his 1985-86 season, he managed to score 8 goals in 25 games.
Wimbledon
- Fashanu then joined Wimbledon in March 1986. His four goals from the remaining nine league games helped Wimbledon seal the final promotion spot. He was Wimbledon’s top scorer with 11 league goals and would be a regular goalscorer in the Dons’ top flight for a further seven seasons.
- He also helped Wimbledon win the FA Cup, beating Liverpool in a final in 1988. He scored Wimbledon’s goal as Liverpool beat them 2–1 in that year’s Charity Shield. During the season he scored 126 goals.
- He was the second top scorer in the First Division with 20 goals as his side finished seventh in their 1990–91 season. He received some criticism in the 1993–94 season in a clash with Gary Mabbutt.
AstonVilla
- Fashanu was sold to Aston Villa for £1.35million on August 4, 1994. Due to injury he was only able to play 13 games and scored 3 goals for Villa.
- His last game dates back to February 4, 1995 at Manchester United
- in a Premiership game. After the end of the season, he retired following this injury.
International career
- John Fashanu represented England at full international level winning two caps – against Chile and Scotland in the 1989 Rous Cup, due to his good form at club level for his then club Wimbledon.
- He was also eligible to play for Nigeria and since retiring has expressed regret that he could not do so.
Post-football career
- After retiring from football, he became a TV presenter and presented the UK edition of ‘Gladiators’ in the 1990s.
- He came second in the second series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! in 2003. The same year, he directed a six-part series for ITV1 based on the American format Man vs. beast. He also presented Fash’s Football Challenge, a reality TV show in 2004.
- He also posted a “Focus on Fitness with Fash” video. He is now the host of Deal or No Deal Nigeria, broadcast on M-Net Africa.
- In 2003, he became the manager of his own Sunday league football team Fash FC on a reality show.
- In January 2023, he was a contestant on the fifteenth series of “Dancing on Ice”.
Awards and Achievements
Wimbledon
Who is John Fashanu married to?
John Fashanu is currently a married man. He tied the knot with his wife, Abigail Fashanu in 2011. Since then, they have been enjoying their lives happily. Previously, he was married twice. He met his first wife, a Spaniard, when they were both 18. When their daughter, Amal, was two years old, John and the Spaniard separated. After that he married his second wife Melissa Kassa-Mapsi. They divorced in 2004. John has two sons, Amir and Akio, and two daughters, Alana and Amal from his marriage. His sexual orientation is straight.
What is John Fashanu net worth?
John Fashanu is a former football player and is currently a TV host. As of 2023, John has an estimated net worth of $20m (£17m). He made his fortune through his sports victories and television appearances. His main source of wealth comes from the entertainment industry and his football career. The team, Wimbledon FC, signed Fashanu for a record (at the time) £125,000 and after winning the Championship, the footballer was undoubtedly richly rewarded. He finished in second place on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! earn a huge amount of money. Fashanu is also paid for his participation in Dancing On Ice while the exact sum of his wealth has not yet been disclosed. He has also run businesses in Nigeria. He lives a lavish life on his earnings.
How tall is John Fashanu?
John Fashanu is a handsome man with an alluring personality. His charismatic character attracted a lot of viewers to him. He stands at the perfect height of 6 feet 1 inch or 1.85m. His body weight is 75 KG. As a former footballer, he maintains his body a lot and his morphology is athletic. He has a healthy body and he is very conscious about his food intake. He has a pair of black eyes while his hair is bald.