Adebayo Akinfenwa contacted EA Sports as soon as he heard he could lose his title as the strongest player in the world on the new version of the computer game Fifa.

“People on Twitter were telling me about a player from South America who could be stronger than me on Fifa 15,” said the AFC Wimbledon forward, known as The Beast.

“I like the tag of being the strongest player in football so I put a little message in to see if I was still going to be the strongest when the new game comes out. They told me the chances of me still being the strongest are very good. But if I am not the strongest, I will call out whoever is the strongest out for a bench-press challenge!”

Akinfenwa is not a stereotypical footballer. At 5ft 11in, he weighs more than 16 stone and can bench‑press 180kg, close to double his body weight. He is proud of his crown as the strongest player in the world but feels his size and power often mean his ability is overlooked.

“Not just in football but in everyday life people have perceptions and stereotypes,” says Akinfenwa, who has averaged 15 goals a season over the last five years. “If something does not fit the mould, you look past it. Because of my size, I automatically fall into the category of being too big to be a footballer.

“It used to get to me when everyone talked about my size but now I quite like the fact I stand out. I have come to terms with the fact I am not the typical footballer. I understand why people keep coming back to my size but I embrace it now.

“The stats about my goals do not lie. I will put my hands up and say there are certain things I am not good at, but I like to think I’m very good at what I am good at. I would not have the career I have had if I could not play a bit, and I can’t complain because I live a good life.”

Akinfenwa joined Wimbledon this summer after leaving Gillingham and showed his softer side by singing Aladdin’s ‘A Whole New World’ for his initiation. A video of the performance has gone viral and the 32-year-old has received some stick from his new team-mates (see below).

“I was going to do something from Mulan but I couldn’t remember the words,” says Akinfenwa. “I like Disney films and Aladdin is one of my favourites. It was a bit of fun and I did not know anyone was recording it. It [the video] has been going around like wildfire and a few of the lads have been bantering me about it.

“We have worked hard and trained hard in pre-season so it was nice to have a laugh.”