The semi-finals and grand final are being held in the U.K. city later this month, in lieu of Ukraine, which won the event last year.

Klavan played for Liverpool 2016-2018, a period which he told ETV current affairs show "Ringvaade" that he looked back on with fondness.

"I went to the Liverpool Legends game (a charity match played between former top Liverpool players and their counterparts from Celtic FC-ed.) recently, and it seemed like it had only been yesterday [that he was a Liverpool player himself]. All the emotions and feelings came flooding back and it was very cool to go back there again," he told "Ringvaade" Tuesday.

Klavan, 37, said that while he was a Liverpool player, going out for a quiet night in the pub was not viable, given the strength of support from fans, whom he diplomatically described as "fervent" (Estonian: Tulihingelised).

Even on his recent trip to Merseyside, Klavan said he was recognized on the street, and thanked for the two years he was a player there.

Klavan said that his tip for this year's Eurovision is the Estonian entry, Alika, with Finland and Sweden taking the second and third spots, in his prediction.

Alika performs in the second semi-final, on May 11, while the final itself will take place two days later.

Regardless of whether she makes it through to the grand final or not, Klavan will read out Estonia's scores for all the finalists.

A native of Viljandi and son of a former pro player, Ragnar Klavan moved from FC Augsburg to Liverpool in July 2016 for a reported €5 million. He got regular starts with the team, including at UEFA Champions League level. Just over two years later he moved to Cagliari Calcio, a Serie A team based in the Sardinian capital, and returned home in summer 2021 when he signed for Paide Linnameeskond.

Tanel Padar, the 2001 Eurovision winner, was Estonia's points announcer at last year's event, won by Ukraine.

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