If the secret wasn’t already out, a standout goal live on ITV gave a nationally leaning audience a glimpse of what Wycombe supporters have known for some time: that they have unearthed a special footballing talent in Richard Kone.
Kone scored the second in a 2-0 win over Wealdstone in the second round of the FA Cup on Saturday, his twelfth goal of the season. Others have included one against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup and a nine-minute hat-trick against Peterborough in League One.
All at the age of 21 in his first full season as a professional footballer. This time last year, Kone played for Athletic Newham in the Essex Senior League, scoring for fun in front of a crowd that was usually under a hundred in attendance.
Now he has promotion to the Championship and the third round of the FA Cup in his sights, with scouts tuning in from across Europe, including strong interest from France and Belgium.
Progress has been rapid since he joined Wycombe full-time in January. His physique has taken on a stronger, more athletic quality and his gifts have been refined. He is powerful, quick off the line and capable of scoring a range of goals, from scrappy tap-ins and screamers to solo goals like the one in Wealdstone, when he stood his ground and rolled past his marker, beating another defender and hitting the net hit.
“A great year for me,” Kone beamed afterwards. “From where I played until now, I have to be grateful to God, who took me from where I was and brought me here step by step to improve and learn.
Wycombe Wanderers have uncovered a special football talent in Richard Kone (above).
He scored the second in a victory over Wealdstone in the second round of the FA Cup on Saturday
Now he has promotion to the Championship and the third round of the FA Cup in his sights
“I always knew how to score goals, but all the guys here and the staff help me a lot with my hold-up game, taking my chances and tactical positioning. I have improved a lot. When I first signed, I was pushing everywhere and chasing everything. Now I know my job. I know what to do. How to manage myself. How I can be ready for the ball at my feet.’
Kone was born in Ivory Coast and came to Cardiff in 2019 to play in the Homeless World Cup, an annual four-a-side competition where organizers can measure success when a player breaks free from addiction or gets a job as a bus driver.
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“Each player is a role model and inspiration to people around the world because of their resilience and strength,” said Matthew Williams of the Homeless World Cup Foundation. “Richard’s success on the field is a testament to his strength. We are proud to have been the catalyst for such an exciting career and can’t wait to see where it takes him.”
During the tournament, Kone gave an interview in which he said he became homeless because his family rejected his homosexuality. The family are now reconciled, he says, and when he signed for Wycombe he posed for photos with his girlfriend and daughter.
Since then he has not spoken about his sexuality and has the right to privacy. He is in a good place at Wycombe, a club with a good heart. They thrived by embracing players from different backgrounds.
“We absolutely believe that at our football club you can be 100 percent who you are, and that goes back many years,” says boss Matt Bloomfield.
His predecessor Gareth Ainsworth, now boss of Shrewsbury, owes his success to personalities such as Adebayo Akinfenwa, Joe Jacobson and Darius Charles. Bloomfield, with 558 Wycombe appearances over 19 years, was part of that culture and now combines it into his own leadership style.
At Athletic Newham, Kone’s manager Chris Davis, now in charge of Ilford, went further than nurturing his football career. Davis also became his legal guardian, giving him the stability to launch this new life.
He is in a good place at Wycombe, a club with a good heart. They thrived by embracing players from different backgrounds
“We absolutely believe that you can be 100 percent who you are at our football club and that goes back many years,” says boss Matt Bloomfield (pictured left)
The sheer weight of the goals in Essex caught his eye. Kone impressed during the games at Colchester and West Ham, but it was Wycombe where he established himself. They showed confidence and he saw a route to the first team.
He trained with them for months as he continued to play for Newham while acquiring the paperwork to turn professional, which he did in January. Last week, Wycombe secured an extension to his original 18-month contract, meaning he is now tied until 2026.
“He’s an incredible young man, a big part of what we do and we hope to work with him for a long time,” Bloomfield said. “He comes in with a smile on his face and the boys love him. He has brought the freshness of someone who doesn’t care about reputation. He just wants to play football and score goals.
“We have to be careful how much we expose him because he is a young boy and developing, but every now and then players like him come along and force your hand, force their way into the team and we have to I respect that too.’