Before he was the flamboyant ‘Limpopo King’, Kcee was just another young talent chasing dreams of becoming a football legend. In a candid chat with podcaster Temisan Emmanuel, the Nigerian singer—real name Kingsley Okonkwo—revealed that he once aspired to step into the shoes of Super Eagles greats like Jay Jay Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo.
“I was playing for Julius Berger and later for Puma FC in the ’90s,” Kcee said. “I even went to South Africa with football. That was my first time travelling abroad.”
According to him, he was among the group of promising players lined up to succeed Nigeria’s Olympic gold-winning football heroes. But when sponsorship and funding became elusive, he decided to follow his other passion—music.
“I was doing both football and music at the same time. But when I won the Star Quest talent show, things changed. Money started coming in. I had to pick one, and I chose music.”
It turned out to be the right choice. Kcee would go on to become one-half of the music duo Kc Presh before launching a successful solo career, topping charts and performing across the globe. But deep down, he still carries the heart of a footballer who almost made it to the big leagues.
