IT takes a lot to surprise a footballer who’s turned out for 24 different clubs across ten tiers of the English football pyramid.
But for veteran striker Leroy Lita, there is one day he’ll never forget.
Lita kicked off his career on the books of Chelsea’s academy and has turned out for the likes of Reading, Middlesbrough and Swansea, as well as a swathe of non-league teams.
Now at seventh tier Barwell, aged 40, Lita has opened up on some of his most hilarious stories from his decades-long playing career.
And topping the list? Cilla Black giving him the surprise, surprise of his life by walking in on him naked.
Lita told The Times: “My first experience [at Reading] was walking in with the chairman and Cilla Black.
“He walked past me like he didn’t know who I was, and he had just paid £1million out of his own pocket for me.
“It wasn’t out of the club budget. He didn’t even know what I looked like and my agent had to tell him.
“I was just shocked that he was with Cilla Black. I used to watch Blind Date and Surprise Surprise, and was like, ‘That’s her, isn’t it?!’
“She used to always come to our games and come into the changing room.
“I remember playing Arsenal away, getting changed, I was naked. She was just there with a big smile.”
Talk about a Blind Date…
Cilla’s regular appearances at Reading come as no surprise, with then-owner John Madejski calling the former pop star and TV personality his “soulmate” after they enjoyed a long friendship.
The Blind Date host died in 2015 aged 72.
Lita – who scored six times in nine games for England’s Under-21s – has racked up nearly 600 career games, scoring close to 200 goals in that spell.
However, his last stint in the English Football League came way back in the 2015-16 season, at League Two Yeovil.
Since then, Lita has enjoyed stints in Greece and Thailand, before returning home to embark on a journeyman non-league career.
Before joining Barwell last year, the striker turned out for Margate, Salisbury, Chelmsford City, Nuneaton Borough, Hednesford Town, Ilkestone Town and Coalville Town.
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