M. Starkus: "An Everton fan could never become my son-in-law."

2026-10-09 16:47

The traveler, television show host, and producer Martynas Starkus could be seen not only behind the wheel of cars with hard-to-describe colors and unclear brands or with a video camera in some forgotten corner of the world a few years ago.

For most of his life, he spent a lot of time kicking a ball on football fields.

With the hosts of the podcast "Football with One Leg with Nerijus Kesminas" – well-known football commentator Nerijus Kesminas and sports journalist Marius Grinberg – the famous television face talked about his sporting life: from the times he passed balls to Vilnius "Žalgiris" players during Soviet championship matches to playing football with Bolivian children at 4,000 meters above sea level or the traditions of Chad stadiums.

"You need a lot of effort just to tie your shoes there; there's a lack of oxygen. And those kids: 'Hey, gringos, maybe football?'" recalled M. Starkus about his experiences in the Andes mountains.

An ardent fan of the England club "Liverpool," M. Starkus smirked when asked what he would do if any of his three daughters chose a fan of Liverpool's rivals "Everton" as a partner: "I would say she should choose someone else. There are plenty of those guys."

The man who became a champion of the Sunday League four times with the star-studded "Prelegentų" club no longer kicks the ball. Operations on both of his cruciate ligaments and other injuries prevent him from doing so. But he could talk about football endlessly.

"As you leave, just leave me here; I'll turn on the cameras afterward," he joked, the multiple Sunday League champion who has spent his whole life in or around football.