Kego interview: How former Crystal Palace starlet went from street football to working under Diego Maradona Jr in Spain
London-born street footballer Kego has landed a professional contract at Spanish fifth tier side UD Ibarra, managed by Diego Maradona's son; the young forward was on the books at Crystal Palace and looked set for the Premier League but quit football and went on some journey to become pro
Tuesday 18 February 2025 10:48, UK
Imagine going from playing football on the streets and then landing yourself a professional deal in Spain. Oh, and the manager of your new club is Diego Maradona's son.
This is the story of Kevin Gonzalez Quintero, also known as Kego. The 22-year-old has gone from playing street football in London tournaments just a few months ago to securing a full-time contract at Spanish fifth-tier side UD Ibarra.
Two weeks before the deal, the Tenerife club spotted him playing in an island street game and it was not long until he was put in touch with the club director.
"He gave me a call and said, 'We need you here, we know that you're going to come and impact the team in a good way'," Kego tells Sky Sports from his new club's headquarters.
"The last two weeks, I've been playing football in the cages, in the streets, just kicking about, just how I always do. And here I am today in a professional environment!"
But for Kego, this was not how the story was supposed to go. Kego's journey from the streets to the professional game is a unique one but the stage he currently occupies should have been much higher.
The London-born youngster, raised by Colombian parents, was destined for the Premier League. Kego was on Crystal Palace's books between the ages of 8 and 18 and was named academy player of the year in 2017. A top-flight debut was not far away.
"I was like the wonderkid, the next star," he recalls. "If I'm very honest with you, I thought I'd make my debut at 16 or 17, because at 14 and 15, there was a lot of hype around me."
That there was - and not just at Palace. Kego was in a tussle between England and Colombia - he played in the same youth international teams as Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala for England, Jhon Duran with Colombia. Both nations were circling and pitching for him to commit.
Kego was at the top of his game - and then life hit. His mother became seriously ill. "She was close to dying," he says.
His father - whose own football career in Colombia was cut short due to Pablo Escobar's terror across the nation - quit his work in England. With his parents needing support, Kego quit football too.
"My mum being very sick, she needed me," Kego recalls. "So did my dad because he couldn't really do it all by himself. He needed me there for motivation, really, and for his love and everything.
"It was hard to deal with at the start because you were a star boy, you were the main man, the talk of the town. Then just like that, just quick out of nowhere, you become no one.
"That for me just humbled me in a lot of ways. But yeah, it was very difficult, especially at that time because with my mum, there was just too much to handle at that point."
His mother has responded to her treatment but it has been a long five or six years of recovery. As her health improved, Kego decided to go back to football.
There was no change in his ability, at least to the naked eye. Those who have played street football with him describe him as "if Ronaldinho and Neymar had a kid".
But due to the time away and the prime academy years not taken advantage of, there seemed no way back to the level he once had.
Kego kept on trying, visiting 14 different countries playing on the streets and trialling at clubs. There was even one trip to Hungary, where he struggled for food and slept on the floor.
But there seemed to be no way back. Up to 20 teams looked at him - and said no.
"I've never had rejections in my life ever," he says. "So when I received that news, it did break me. But it had to break me so I can build myself back up again.
"It was just rejection after rejection. You start to question your ability. I asked myself, 'Why that? What's going on? What's happening? Is there something wrong with me? Do I need to take a different approach to things?' I didn't know.
"I heard in England I got blacklisted. I don't know if that's true or not but one of the agents told me that.
"It was very tough to take as a young man. It can definitely affect a young person that's trying to make it as a pro player. But again, at the end of the day, you need a good community around you."
That is where the street football came in - and Kego's big break came via The Last Stand, who run street tournaments across England, including the London Street Word Cup, to help celebrate all kinds of diversity. Kego turned up and word got around again about his talents.
What appeared like regular street tournaments turned into a path back into professional football. His displays helped Kego land a PUMA contract, despite not having a club. But more importantly, it gave him the confidence to keep going in the pursuit of a football career.
"They give hope to young people like myself," Kego says of The Last Stand.
"It's mad that people are like that in a situation where they don't have a place to go to. There's not much hope out there for us young people but they're here for you when you're 20, 22, 19, sometimes even 18.
"Others believe you're too old in the football industry, whereas The Last Stand, they don't judge you for your age.
"Through The Last Stand, I've learned that you shouldn't be scared to express yourself and just show what you've got. The flair, that excitement, that almost entertainer vibe.
"You see guys like Ronaldinho or Neymar, you see them entertaining people." Those two are Kego's idols - and the third was Maradona. Now Kego is playing under his son.
"It's a mad feeling," he says about his new manager. "Even the other day in training, when I was passing the ball to him and he played it back. His son's passing me the ball!"
The feeling is mutual. "I think what struck me the most was his desire to train, to feel good, to integrate with his team-mates," Maradona Jr tells Sky Sports. "This is very important to me because we, as a coaching staff, put the human aspect first.
"His most important quality is his dribbling, his ability to score goals is very important to us. He struck us for his desire and his intelligence, both on and off the pitch."
Kego hopes to be a story for others to follow - especially in an era where only one per cent of academy players make it through to the top-level game. There are signs that he is not the only one with The Last Stand, with the organisation helping many women's footballers get into England youth teams.
But Kego is also a role model for street football - and the skills that lie from within the cages. "You come into the cage or you go into the streets and you bring your own flavour," he says.
"There is grassroots football but you don't see this story much. In street football, you do see it. I'm living proof."
But leave the last word to Kego's new manager - and Maradona Jr can sympathise with the young forward's journey into football. His own football journey started in Naples - in the cages and the streets of the Italian city.
"I think this is the most beautiful part of football," he says.
"The story of Kego confirms that playing football is a dream to pursue and that sometimes can be achieved with dedication, sacrifice and passion."
