John Akin Salako (born 11 February 1969) is an English former professional football player, coach, and sports television pundit.
A fast and imaginative player, Salako began his career at Crystal Palace in the mid 1980s, and was their regular left winger by the time they won promotion to the First Division in 1989.
He was also in the side for the 1990 FA Cup Final, picking up a runners-up medal after they drew 3–3 with Manchester United before losing the replay 1–0.
[3] A year later, Salako helped Palace achieve their highest ever finish of third in the top flight in the 1990–91 season and he memorably scored twice for the Eagles in a 3–0 home win over Manchester United in the league.
They finished the season relegated, with Salako often being positioned as a centre forward alongside Chris Armstrong after the sale of Ian Wright and Mark Bright.