Faustino Asprilla netted Newcastle hat-trick against Barcelona, loves guns, refused hitman offer, sold flavoured condoms during pandemic and turned down porn career

Whether it’s on the pitch or off it, Faustino Asprilla only knows how to do two things: shoot and score!

The memorable former striker, who represented Parma and Newcastle in the 1990s, was a popular figure with fans wherever he went.

Getty Images – Getty

AFP via Getty Images

Tyneside was no exception – with the St James’ Park faithful unlikely to forget his brilliant hat-trick against Barcelona in a hurry.

But the trouble was that Asprilla wanted firepower his feet just couldn’t provide.

He was sentenced to a year in prison (suspended) for firing a gun twice without a permit in 1995, while he was later placed under house arrest for allegedly firing a machine gun at security staff near his farm in Colombia in 2008, according to The Sun.

Yet despite that, Asprilla himself revealed he had to stop a HITMAN from killing Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert.

He claimed the gunman called his hotel room after both he and Chilavert were sent off in a World Cup qualifying match in Asuncion.

The hitman, who was later killed in a drug-related shootout in 2004, wanted Asprilla’s permission to kill Chilavert.

However, speaking on a documentary broadcast on Colombian television channel TelePacifico, he confirmed he refused outright and was horrified at the proposal.

“What? Are you crazy?” Asprilla claimed to tell the assassin. “You’ll destroy Colombian football, you do that.

“No, no, no, no. What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch.”

Asprilla continued his new motto to make love and not war once he hung up his boots that led to him launching his own range of condoms, Tino Condones, in 2014.

The maverick, of course, has a favourite to use as part of his flavoured line – His recommended variety? Guava.

“When I was growing up, we had a guava tree in our garden and that’s a flavour and aroma that’s very good for romancing,” he said, report the Daily Mirror.

AFP via Getty Images

Asprilla then more than did his part in the fight against coronavirus by donating one million condoms from his contraceptive company.

And he also slashed the prices on the rest, saying in a video on Twitter: “Here at home I have a whole load of condoms which I want you to help me use, because it is really difficult for me to use all of them.

“Filling up with kids and bringing them into the world with this virus is not on. So I am giving you a link through which you can get hold of these Tino condoms at a very reasonable price.

“I will let them go at more than half price so that you can have some protection at home: soap, washing your hands, and what could be better than condoms?”

However, while Aspirilla is no stranger to the sex business, he drew the line at demonstrating his talents on camera.

Getty Images – Getty

The forward’s decision to pose naked in a 2007 edition of SoHo magazine caught the eye of the adult film industry.

Porn company Santa Latina were desperate to offer the then-43-year-old a short team ‘pay-as-you-lay’ deal worth close to £7,000.

Producers wrote in an open letter that they were “convinced that with a little training you could exploit another talent all of Colombia knows you have.”

Surprisingly, Aspirilla turned down the chance to keep scoring.

And sadly fans were left to rue a tap-in that would have seen the man nicknamed ‘The Octopus’ act out his namesake position.