Nigerian artist Kingsley Okonkwo, better known by his stage name Kcee, has disclosed that he was a professional football player before turning to music as his second love after his soccer career failed to get funding.
The “Limpopo” hitmaker revealed in an interview with podcaster Temisan Emmanuel that he played in the 1990s for Puma FC and Julius Berger FC, two Nigerian league teams.
He said that his football career brought him to South Africa, where he was one of the new generation of football players expected to succeed the Olympic gold-winning Super Eagles, which also included Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Jay Jay Okocha.
He clarified that after experiencing obstacles in his football career due to a lack of sponsorship, he turned to music.
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“My first trip outside of this country was for football,” Kcee stated. For Julius Berger, I was performing. For Puma, I performed. I visited South Africa for the first time for soccer. It was before music.
“I was a very little boy.” This took place in the mid-1990s. Back then, I was a teenager. Before me, Kanu and Jay Jay [Okocha] were a set. We would have followed in their footsteps and taken over the Super Eagles.
“I discovered that it was challenging to advance my football career, so I pursued my next passion, music,” he continued. I had both of them sprinting side by side. I won the Star Quest talent hunt during that time, and I began earning money. I was forced to drop one for one. That is the reason I gave up football.
