KONE’S AT HOME ON WEMBLEY BIG STAGE
RICHARD Kone once played in the Homeless World Cup – now he has hit the heights of Wembley.
The 20-year-old turned our for his native Ivory Coast in Cardiff four years ago after he was ostracised for being openly gay.
A move to England and Step 6 side Athletic Newham followed where hotshot Kone soon caught the eye and in January he completed a dream move to Wycombe Wanderers following a trial at Adams Park.
And earlier this month, the 20-year-old started for the Chairboys against Peterborough United under the Wembley arch in the EFL Trophy Final, completing a remarkable rags to riches rise to the top.
Wycombe were edged out by Posh in extra-time but boss Matt Bloomfield was full of praise for his young forward, emphasising his momentous tale.
“It really shows the beauty of the English game. If you work hard enough absolutely anything is possible,” said the former Colchester United boss.
“Richard’s been on our radar since pre-season but due to a few complications he had to patiently wait for the deal to be done. He didn’t let that stop him though and kept up the momentum throughout.
“The way he has adapted to League One football in such a short space of time is testament to his ability, especially considering he is still really young.”
Kone’s story seems fit for a Hollywood script.
He ended up on the streets in his home country after coming out to his parents at the age of 16. Homosexuality is not illegal in Ivory Coast but discrimination is widespread.
Kone linked up with Athletic Newham where he regularly topped goalscoring charts as the Kings won promotion to Step 5.
And Kone continued his stellar form during the first half of this campaign, scoring 21 times before the turn of the year to put the East London side firmly in the promotion mix again before Wycombe came calling.
Kone became only the second openly gay player in men’s professional football in England after Blackpool’s Jake Daniels and he hit the ground running with the Chairboys, scoring on his debut in the EFL Trophy quarter-final.
Since then, Kone has become a regular feature in the first-team squad, with Bloomfield believing his experience at the national stadium will serve to further advance his footballing development and set him up well for the next chapter in his captivating journey.
“I thought Richard played in a really positive manner,” Bloomfield commented.
“We are still in a position where we are trying to get his minutes up and he is moving forward with every game.
“Richard’s got real raw talent and he could go really far with that.
“It’s just one of those amazing stories. We are so proud to have him here.”