At the beginning of the 2021/22 season, legendary forward Adebayo Akinfenwa announced that after over 20 years as a professional footballer, this season would be his last, or as - he calls it - his ‘last dance’.
With over 730 appearances and 212 goals to his name, 'the Beast' has decided the time has come to hang up his boots.
This weekend, Wycombe Wanderers will be celebrating Akinfenwa’s career throughout their Sky Bet League One home game against Doncaster Rovers. To get in on the celebrations, we look back on some of his greatest quotes from over the years...
- "It used to get my back up because people would only say 'he does well for his size' and it's like, forget the size, I do well because I do well." An EFL cult-hero!
- "Sometimes it's nice to be a bit different." We hear you, Bayo!
- "My career and my stats, they all speak for itself so to say that I've got anything to prove to people, to say 'well, look, I can play, I'm not just a big guy,' that really is not my driving force in life." Some weekend motivation for you.
- "There's a perception that to be an athlete you need to be a specific weight and a specific size." Very true.
- "I'm going to say it out loud: I'm available for England selection if they serve chicken for pre-match." Come and get him, Gareth!
- "My favourite chant is 'you're just a fat Eddie Murphy'. When I heard that I could not stop laughing. I would prefer a 'muscular Eddie Murphy'." One for the suggestions box.
- "I like being the biggest on the pitch, I don't want to look at the other guys and think his arms are bigger than mine." He's certainly achieved that!
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"That's one reason fans take to me. They like the battle side of it. They look at me and think this guy shouldn't be on the pitch, he's just bulldozing his way through." 10/10 for effort.
- "Sometimes I think it would be nice to be in a warm office every day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining because I know how lucky I am to be playing football for a living. The positives by far outweigh the negatives." Maybe one day, Bayo.
- "Beast Mode On is a state of mind. Beast Mode is about applying yourself and defying the limitations people put on you." We all need to channel our inner Beast Mode, for sure.