Outgoing QPR winger, Albert Adomah has declared himself the “James Milner of the Championship” and wants to add to his record 525 appearances in the second tier.
Hoops fan Adomah will leave the club at the end of the season when his current deal expires but the 36-year-old has no plans to retire.
Adomah moved clear at the top of the list of all-time Championship appearances when he came off the bench in his side’s 4-0 win against Leeds United last week.
Three-time Premier League title winner Milner has made 640 Premier League appearances in a career that has spanned more than 20 years.
Former Ghana international Adomah said if “he had his way” he would retire at the club but feels he has at least one more season left in his career.
“I always tell myself I’m the James Milner of the Championship, I think that’s the best way to put it,” he told BBC Radio London.
“He started younger than me, I started when I was 20, but I’ve got this longevity still playing for nearly 17 years I believe now.”
He credited his long career to “hard work and staying fit”, with this season’s hamstring injury giving him a rare spell on the sidelines.
He revealed that despite recovering in six weeks, he was originally expected to miss three months.
Friday’s victory over Leeds was extra special for Adomah, as it secured Championship safety for the Hoops as well as being his final appearance at Loftus Road as a QPR player.
“The way we played against Leeds, against a top team in the Championship, we showed we can compete with the likes of them,” he said.
“When the third goal went in I celebrated with the gaffer and said, ‘Put me on now!’ and he just smiled. It was an incredible feeling [to come on for his landmark appearance].”
‘The day I can’t run is when I’ll think about retiring’
Adomah has maintained he always intended to play at least until the age of 37 – his squad number.
“The day that I can’t run is the day that I’ll think about retiring, or if I have a serious injury then I’ll stop. I still believe I could do one more season in the Championship or two or three more at a lower level” he stated.
Adomah began his professional career at Barnet in 2008 and was sponsored by legendary BBC commentator John Motson.
The winger made more than 100 appearances for each of Barnet, Bristol City, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa, ending with Villa’s 2018-19 Championship play-off final win against Derby County.
Short spells at Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, on loan, followed before he joined QPR in 2020.
He has 19 international caps and two goals for Ghana.
And his advice to young aspiring footballers is “hard work prevails”, as he has had to overcome knock-backs in his career, including one before it even started.
He was initially rejected by Harrow Borough when he trialled for their reserve team in 2006, before returning a few weeks later and impressing to join the club’s youth team and “the rest is history”.
“Everyone has a different path, whether it’s the academy, or non-league football like Jamie Vardy, for me [the main thing] is – don’t be sidetracked, don’t be distracted, be focused to achieve your goal and be determined,” he added.
Adomah could make his last QPR appearance away to Coventry City on Saturday on the Championship’s final day.
Source: BBC