Nigerian artist Kingsley Okonkwo, widely recognized as Kcee, has disclosed that he once pursued a career as a professional footballer before transitioning to his true passion, music, after struggling to find sponsorship for his athletic ambitions.
During a discussion with podcaster Temisan Emmanuel, the ‘Limpopo’ sensation recounted his time playing for Nigerian clubs, Julius Berger FC and Puma FC, back in the 1990s.
He mentioned that his football journey took him to South Africa and positioned him among the emerging talents expected to rise alongside the Olympic gold medal-winning Super Eagles, featuring stars like Austin Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu.
He switched to music after setbacks in his football career due to lack of sponsorship.
Kcee said, “The first time I travelled out of this country was football. I was playing for Julius Berger. I played for Puma. The first time I went to South Africa was soccer. That was before music.
“I was a very young boy. This was in the middle 90s. I was a teenager then. Jay Jay [Okocha] and Kanu were a set before me. After them, we would have been like the people to take over Super Eagles.”
He added, “When I found out that it was difficult to take my football career to the next level, I picked up my next love, music. I was running both of them side by side. In the course of that, I won Star Quest talent hunt and I started making money. So, I had to drop one for one. That was why I quit football.”
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