Kcee shared that he played for Nigerian league side Julius Berger FC and Puma FC in the 1990s, and his football career even took him to South Africa

Lack of sponsorship ultimately led Kcee to switch to 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.”

Nigerian Afrobeats singer Kingsley Okonkwo, better known as Kcee, recently opened up about his decision to transition from professional football to a career in music, Eko Hot Blog reports.

In a candid conversation with podcaster Temisan Emmanuel, the “Ojapiano” crooner explained that he pursued his second love, music, after facing challenges in securing sponsorship for his football career.

Kcee shared that he played for Nigerian league side Julius Berger FC and Puma FC in the 1990s, and his football career even took him to South Africa.

He was part of a promising group of young players who were expected to succeed the renowned Olympic gold Super Eagles team that featured Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu.

However, the lack of sponsorship ultimately led Kcee to switch to music

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 for 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.