- Kcee, is a renowned Nigerian musician.
- He initially pursued a career in professional football before transitioning to music.
- Kcee faced challenges in securing sponsorship for his football career.
Renowned Nigerian musician, Kingsley Okonkwo, popularly known as Kcee, has disclosed that he once pursued a career as a professional footballer before shifting his focus to music due to challenges in securing sponsorship for his football journey.
In an interview with podcaster Temisan Emmanuel, the ‘Limpopo’ crooner revealed that he played for Nigerian football clubs such as Julius Berger FC and Puma FC in the 1990s.
Kcee also mentioned that his football career took him to South Africa, and he was part of a new generation of players expected to succeed legends like Austin Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu, who were instrumental in Nigeria’s Olympic gold victory with the Super Eagles.
However, Kcee explained that his passion for football waned when his career faced significant setbacks due to a lack of financial backing. As a result, he turned to his second love, music, which ultimately led him to fame.
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.”