Speaking in an interview, Akinfenwa said:
“I was told I was too big to play football … and I’ve played this game for 22 years. I don’t need acknowledgement from anybody. I will sit down and say: ‘You know what, B, you did all right.
“Some say: ‘He’s built like a rugby player, he’s built like a wrestler, I don’t get all the hype around him.’ …It’s fine because we’re all entitled to our opinions but I do want people to know that the strongest thing that we own is our mind and if we believe it in ourselves, then we can achieve it. The mind is a powerful thing. If people say something, it doesn’t make it so.”
Akinfenwa spent almost his entire football career in England and had a fairly decent career, despite never playing in the Premier League.
He won the Welsh Premier League with Barry Town in 2002-03 and the Football League Trophy with Swansea City in 2005-06.
He was named player of the season at four different clubs: Torquay United, Northampton Town, AFC Wimbledon and Wycombe Wanderers.
He played his last professional game in May 2022 for Wycombe Wanderers against Sunderland in the 2022 League One play-off and then announced his retirement at age 40.
Akinfenwa played a total of 794 games and scored 233 goals.
