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Former Liverpool footballer makes appearance during Eurovision final

The 37-year-old was tasked with announcing the results of the country’s jury vote.

Ellie Iorizzo
Sunday 14 May 2023 01:05 BST
Ragnar Klavan (Mike Egerton/PA)
Ragnar Klavan (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive)

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Former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan has appeared during the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest as the spokesperson for his home country Estonia.

The 37-year-old was tasked with announcing the results of the country’s jury vote, with points split among the acts according to how Estonia’s jury ranked them, with the top country receiving 12 points.

Captain of Estonia’s national football team, Klavan moved to Liverpool’s Anfield in 2016 for £4.2 million from German club Augsburg, and made dozens of appearances over two seasons under manager Jurgen Klopp.

On Saturday, he appeared at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool to announce his nation’s points following performances from all 26 finalists.

He described Liverpool as an “amazing city” and joked about his time at the club with presenter Hannah Waddingham.

It comes after Estonian entrant Alika showcased her vocal prowess with the song Bridges alongside a haunting piano part, after winning over the voting public in the semi-final on Thursday night.

In the final she finished eighth with 168.

The footballer most recently reached the final of the Estonian version of Dancing With The Stars last year with professional partner Kerttu Tanav.

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