ADEBAYO AKINFENWA “KLOPP DIDN’T HIT ME UP, BUT CLUBS FROM BRAZIL, IRAQ, MEXICO AND GREECE DID. IT WAS CRAZY”

Early in your career, you spent time playing in Lithuania. How did that happen?

I was on trial with Watford when my agent, who was married to a Lithuanian and knew about the country, arranged for the president of Atlantas Klaipeda to come over and watch me play. I was unsuccessful at Watford, but got invited to Lithuania instead. To be honest, I’d never even heard of Lithuania! They were in the UEFA Cup and had a strong squad, but in my first game I was subjected to monkey chants and the crowd sang about “shooting ni**ers”. I was only 18 and on the receiving end of that, a long