10 Players You Totally Forgot Played For Newcastle United

7. Justin Fashanu

The great tragedy of Justin Fashanu's story is that he will forever be remembered for his sexuality and a scandal that ultimately led to his suicide at the age of just 37. In that context, it is all too easy to forget that he was the first £1million black player in English football and that he was a gifted striker who had proved himself worthy of that enormous price tag. Sadly, Fashanu's career stalled at Nottingham Forest after his big money move, thanks in part to the self-confessed homophobia of Brian Clough, and an injury at next club looked to have ended his career. But then, a move to America for treatment saw him playing again and in 1989 he returned to England to get his career back on track. For the next couple of years, he went through a relatively huge number of clubs, before signing for Newcastle (then under Ossie Ardiles) in 1991 on trial, and like Guppy playing just once as a substitute in a League Cup game. That was the extend of his impact at Newcastle, and he moved on quickly, attracting far more tabloid attention than sports journalism.
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.