Kenya U18 star tracked by Real Madrid opens up on hopes of playing for rivals Barcelona

Photo || CECAFA

FOOTBALL Kenya U18 star tracked by Real Madrid opens up on hopes of playing for rivals Barcelona

Mark Kinyanjui 07:38 - 05.03.2024

Kibet, who has reportedly been tracked by Real Madrid since joining Spain's Nastic Soccer Academy, has revealed his dream is to play for Barcelona.

Kenya U18 sensation Aldrine Kibet has enjoyed a prominent rise over the last year after taking football by storm during the 2023 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) games that were held in Kakamega last August.

He was named Most Valuable Player, before moving to Spain’s Nastic Academy in Tarragona alongside fellow Kenyans Amos Wanjala and Alvin Kasavuli.

The 17-year-old has since inspired Kenya U18 to the finals of the 2023 CECAFA U18 Boys’ Championship, where they fell at the last hurdle to Uganda in Kisumu, but was named top scorer at the tournament, and his star keeps shining brighter and brighter as the days go by.

Now, Kibet, who has reportedly been scouted by Real Madrid since moving to Spain, has revealed that he will keep working hard until he realises his dream of playing for their arch-rivals Barcelona, who are not located far away from Tarragona.

“Barcelona has always been my dream since I was young. I look up to them, they play good football, Guardiola football, tiki-taka. I aspire to play for Barcelona,” Kibet told Citizen TV.

“My dream is not to watch Barcelona, I have to go and play with them.”

Kibet has further opened up on how he got the chance to move to Spain, saying that it was his father’s words that inspired him to succeed in the trials, which were held at the Juja Preparatory School in Thika.

“When I went, I was only told one thing by my father, ‘My child, try to be basic, don’t be Messi. Don’t carry the ball on, just be basic, one time, pass, move, that is what they see’.

“I went and did as my father told me and got that opportunity to come here.”

Despite his talent, it is crazy to believe that Kibet was rejected not once but twice by various football academies before St.Anthony’s Boys Kitale accepted him to join them.

“I got rejected twice but I managed to join St.Anthony’s Boys, so from there, it was just another challenge to play for the first team.”

Kibet was recently named the first runner-up of the Sports Personality of the Year (SOYA) awards in the boys category, with Ismael Kipkirui pipping him to the gong.

However, Kibet is determined to actually win the award next time as he failed to come out on top.

“I feel amazing, I received the news in the field of play, the pitch that I love, so it is wonderful.

“I am number two but not number one, so I have to work extra hard in order to achieve position one. It is a big motivation for me and I am happy.”

Kibet has further stressed how his friendship with his teammates in Tarragona has grown. 

“When we got here, we did not know each other obviously because we are from different places but once we got here, we became best friends naturally.

“You can’t see your friend in need and not help because he is a Kenyan. The community here is just like a family. We live together, we share everything and we enjoy it so much here.”

He has also revealed ambitions of joining Wanjala in the U-19 setup after he won professional terms with Nastic, and even made his debut against the Barcelona U-19 team three weeks ago.

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