Aston Villa's rising star Nathan Delfouneso on the nickname that's stuck

Mar 28 2010 by Andy Walker, Sunday Mercury

Nathan Delfouneso

VILLA’S Nathan ‘The Fonz’ Delfouneso is enjoying Happy Days in front of the Holte End – but admits he had no idea where his nickname came from.

The teenage striker is continuing his claret and blue education under the tutelage of Martin O’Neill, with Villa fans hoping that he can follow the same path as fellow Brummie Gabby Agbonlahor.

The England Under-21 international has shown glimpses of his goal-scoring prowess since making his first-team breakthrough last season.

But the promising prospect has become equally well-known for his catchy nickname, a play on the pronunciation of his surname.

Both Villa fans and players fondly call the 19-year-old ‘The Fonz’, after Henry Winkle’s leather-clad character in 1970s hit American sitcom Happy Days.

Yet Delfouneso was clueless when the moniker first stuck, as he had no idea who the original Fonz was and had to rely on his parents to tell him.

It comes as no surprise given that Delfouneso was born seven years after the final episode of Happy Days was aired on American TV.