“Four years ago I stood in front of you and I was technically unemployed... for me, life and football is all about opinions.

“I hope my story shows that the only opinion that matters is the opinion that you have about yourself.

“I was lucky and blessed to find a manager and players who believed in me, so we are here today… Wycombe is in the Championship!”

Akinfenwa’s career has taken him to multiple clubs across the world.

But he is not the only player who felt a sense of calling when it came to joining Wycombe Wanderers after leaving AFC Wimble-don four years ago.

Fellow forward Alex Samuel was released by League Two side Stevenage two years ago after picking up an ankle injury.

But he prayed about his future and God led him to join Akinfenwa and company at Adams Park.

He said: “You’re looking at bills and seeing nothing’s coming in. I was thinking ‘Do I need to get a second job?’ It was a real tough time.”

The former Swansea youngster, now 24, finally had surgery on his injury. But when offered deals by old club Newport and Yeovil he turned them down.

He added: “I’m really big in my relationship with God, and God showed me months before that something with Wycombe was going to happen so I thought this was meant to be.

“I asked God what was going on when I was injured – we prayed and asked what plans he had and God gave me a vision of the Wycombe badge, and this was before any interest.”