There are many stories of players rising through the tiers of English football from the grassroots. But few rival the story of Richard Kone. In five years, the Ivorian has gone from living on the streets of his hometown Abidjan to leading the race for the Golden Boot in League One and on the cusp of promotion to the championship with Wycombe.
As a teenager, Kone was part of the Ivory Coast squad which travelled to the Homeless World Cup 2019 in Cardiff. At just 16, he said it was his “first time on a plane and first time abroad.” When asked about his experience being homeless, he said, “In Ivory Coast, it isn’t easy at all being homeless. Some people won’t talk with you when you try to ask for a little bit of help or a little bit of money. They ignore you, some people get beaten up. It is difficult being homeless in my country.”
The tournament is a long-running annual international event that features players aged 16 and over who have met their respective country’s definition of homelessness. 480 players representing 46 countries travelled to Cardiff to attend the week-long football festival. Although his nation failed to impress, finishing third in their respective tier, Kone put on a strong showing in the Welsh Capital.
Kone elected to stay in the UK, playing for amateur club Athletic Newham in east London. His time playing in the Essex Senior Leagues was astonishingly prolific. In the 2021-22 campaign, he scored 42 goals and was named player of the season. The following year, he went on to score 40. During this time, Kone caught the eye of football league scouts, but work permit issues prevented him from signing with a professional team.
Despite reported interest from West Ham and Fulham, Wycombe were the lucky recipient of Kone’s signature in January 2024. He had been training with the club for several months before he officially signed, and this patience was rewarded in his debut. The 20-year-old scored the winner against West Ham’s youth side to propel his new team to the last eight of the EFL trophy.
The remainder of his first season in the EFL was slightly underwhelming, starting just 6 league games and scoring 3 goals. But this season has been nothing short of exceptional. When writing, Kone scored 18 league goals and was tied with Jay Stansfield as the top scorer, a man who cost Birmingham a League record fee of £15 million just 8 months ago. Other highlights from this season include a nine-minute perfect hat-trick against Peterborough in October.
Kone clearly left a lasting impression on his previous manager, Matt Bloomfield, who tried to sign the Ivorian for a reported £6 million following his replacement of Rob Edwards as Luton’s manager in January. The bid was ultimately rejected, likely partly because Kone had just signed a contract extension in November, and the bid came too late for the Chairboys to find a replacement.
Going from living on the street to having offers of £6 million rejected for your services is one of football’s great success stories. At just 21, who knows what the future holds for this talented youngster? He may well be taking the pitch in the Championship with his current club next season if they can secure promotion. However, TBR Chief Football Correspondent and transfer expert Graeme Bailey said in an interview with EFL Analysis that Kone has been subject to interest from clubs in England and abroad. Included in this list are Premier League clubs Brentford and Crystal Palace.
It is unclear where Richard Kone will play football next season, but the potential for this success story to be told for many years is undeniable.
https://worldinsport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kones-climb.jpg
2025-04-10 12:35:22
