Popular Nigerian singer Kcee, whose real name is Kingsley Okonkwo, has shared that he was once a professional footballer before switching to music. In a chat with podcaster Temisan Emmanuel, the “Limpopo” star said he played for Julius Berger FC and Puma FC in the 1990s.

Kcee said his football journey even took him to South Africa. He revealed that he was part of the group of young players expected to take over from Nigerian football legends like Austin Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu, who were part of the Olympic gold-winning Super Eagles team.

He explained that lack of sponsorship made it hard to continue with football, so he turned to music, which he also loved. Kcee said he was doing both football and music for a while, but things changed after he won the Star Quest talent show and began making money from music.

“I had to choose between football and music,” he said. “Music started paying, so I focused on it and left football behind.”