Liverpool cult hero defender is to make shock Eurovision appearance after shooting to fame in his homeland by reaching the final of their ‘Dancing with the Stars’ last year’
- The city of Liverpool is hosting Eurovision this week on behalf of Ukraine
- An Anfield cult hero will be announcing the results from his country on Saturday
Eurovision fever is in full swing in Liverpool with the semi-finals underway to decide who makes it through to Saturday night’s music extravaganza.
Thousands of Eurovision fans have descended on the city, which is hosting the hugely popular annual singing contest on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine.
And supporters of Liverpool Football Club can expect to see a familiar face during the show.
A former Reds defender, who played 53 times for Jurgen Klopp‘s team between 2016 and 2018, becoming something of an Anfield cult hero, will be involved on Saturday night.
The 37-year-old will be the spokesperson for his home country Estonia, tasked with announcing who everyone there has voted for during the competition.
Liverpool is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest this week, in place of war-torn Ukraine
A former Liverpool cult hero of the Jurgen Klopp era will be announcing his country’s results
The footballer, who has most recently been playing back in their homeland, reached the final of the Estonian edition of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ last year.
It is, if you hadn’t already guessed, Ragnar Klavan.
Paired up with dancer Kerttu Tänav, the footballer surprised himself and quite a few others with his dancing exploits late last year and given his Liverpool connections is a good choice to read out Estonia’s votes.
Wednesday night’s first semi-final saw Croatia, Czechia, Finland, Israel, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland advance to the final.
Ireland, Malta, Azerbaijan, Latvia and the Netherlands didn’t make it through.
16 more acts will try and qualify in Thursday’s second semi-final, including Estonia, who will be represented by female singer Alika.
Klopp brought Klavan to Liverpool from German club Augsburg in July 2016 for £4.2m, making him the most expensive Estonian footballer ever.
Ragnar Klavan celebrates scoring for Liverpool during his two seasons with the Anfield club
The Estonian defender made 53 appearances for the Reds and was something of a cult hero
Klavan and dance partner Kerttu Tänav reached the final of the Estoniah Dancing with the Stars
Given his Liverpool connections, Klavan is the ideal person to announce Estonia’s votes
In January 2018, he became the first player from the Baltic country to score in the Premier League when netting a last-gasp winner at Burnley.
Klavan was an unused substitute in the 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Kyiv before he was sold on to Italian club Cagliari for £2m that summer.
In total, he played 53 times for the Reds and scored twice.
The seven-time Estonian Footballer of the Year has represented his national side 129 times over the past two decades.