Football can create great emotions even without a spectator. For example, with the Wycombe Wanderers, who were able to secure promotion to the second division for the first time in their 133-year history by defeating Oxford United in the play-off final of the third-rate League One.
The face of the little football wonder: Adebayo Akinfenwa, a 38-year-old muscle mountain with a body weight of more than 100 kilos. After the game, he gave a memorable interview at Sky Sports, including an appeal to a certain viewer: “The only person who can ring through to me on WhatsApp is Klopp – so that we can celebrate together.” Liverpool’s master coach Jürgen Klopp is meant.
Already in 2016, when he shot AFC Wimbledon into League One, the hobby bodybuilder gave a sensational interview: “I think I am now unemployed. Dear coaches, if you are looking for a striker, send me a message via WhatsApp” he said at the time.
One answered: Gareth Ainsworth, Wycombe Wanderes coach, and a dazzling appearance himself. The former Premier League player has been a coach with the team from High Wycombe, just under 50 kilometers northwest of London, since 2012. Ainsworth’s nickname: “Wild Thing” – a holdover from professional times. Wild is not only his playing style, which combines aggressiveness and high pressing, his appearance is also spectacular outside the court: Ainsworth, who likes to wear his shirts a bit too wide open, is the singer of the rock band The Cold Blooded Hearts.
Akinfenwa’s strong first contact
On the square, Akinfenwa is one of his clocks. The striker is the target player of his system. Despite his only 1.80 meters, he can either extend long balls with his head or, thanks to his strong technique, hold until the other players move up. His first contact is outstanding for a player below the Premier League. Despite more than 200 career goals, he is not a designated goal scorer in high football age, but a cooperating striker, more preparer than executor. He has collected 16 scorer points in the past season.
Akinfenwa, who is followed by more than 1.1 million people on Instagram, is considered a popular figure due to his physique, which is so unusual for a footballer. But he is also the target of hostility. The representative of a league competitor called him “Fat water buffalo” last week, he reported on Twitter. “What should be an evening of joy quickly turned into one of anger and frustration.”
In his statement, he made a connection from the racist attacks that he had to experience as a young player in Lithuania to the current “Black Lives Matter” debate: “Kneeling down, supporting social media campaigns and wearing the logo on our jerseys is a start, but it’s not enough. The right work has to start now and the only way to collective progress is through education. “
Mr. Klopp on the phone
One actually rang the bell after the climb: the addressed Jürgen Klopp.
“Congratulations, I’m sure you’ve been at least one championship player all your life,” said the latter in a message Akinfenwa posted on Twitter: “I saw the game but not the interview afterwards. But Hendo (Liverpool- Captain Jordan Henderson / Ed.) Or another player told me to get in touch with you on WhatsApp. And here we are! “
