Albert Adomah: ‘Even when I was at Aston Villa I would go out in my QPR shirt’

If there is a story that encapsulates Albert Adomah’s affection for Queens Park Rangers, then the time he was spotted in KFC wearing a home shirt freshly bought from the club shop while on the books of Middlesbrough takes some beating. It caused a slight stir but the reality was rather more innocent. He occasionally drove into training at Boro in QPR colours and once, after playing in a game between the teams, the winger seized a golden opportunity to add to his prized collection of shirts. “I waited in the tunnel and got about seven or eight tops,” Adomah says, smiling. “Even when I was at Aston Villa, living in Birmingham, sometimes I would go out on the street in my QPR shirt. I’m supporting my team. I’m just a normal supporter supporting the team that I love. Why not?”

It is the kind of authentic outlook that has cemented Adomah’s reputation as one of the game’s warmest personalities. His infectious nature was evident after QPR’s last game, a 4-0 victory over Reading that extended their unbeaten league run to six matches, when he jived on the pitch in front of fans with Jude the Cat, the club mascot. “I just thought: ‘Let me do a little dance with him and put a smile on his face,’ because he is always putting smiles on children’s faces. When I was younger I used to see him doing what he was doing, throwing shapes and messing to keep the young ones entertained. I thought I would do a little cameo with him. He actually made me famous …”

Adomah breaks into laughter. An endearing, down-to-earth character who has not forgotten his roots as a semi-professional at Harrow Borough, for whom he played while doing an NVQ in painting and decorating, he smiles as he explains the Only Fools and Horses-inspired ‘Uncle Albert’