Homeless in Abidjan to World Cup hope via Hackney Marshes – rise of QPR’s Kone

Richard Kone played in the ninth-tier of English football less than two years ago. He is currently a citizen of the Ivory Coast.

The fact that the striker was homeless when he was 16 makes his rise to the top of the Queens Park Rangers’ standings even more impressive.

Kone was merely attempting to survive on Abidjan’s streets in 2019.

He will represent the United States, Canada, and Mexico at the 2026 World Cup if he is chosen to play for the country once more in the summer.

Being homeless in my country is incredibly difficult, according to Kone, who stayed in Abidjan, a city on the Ivory Coast’s south coast.

When you try to ask for a little help or a little money, some people won’t talk to you.

However, one friend eventually helped Kone by recognizing his potential and introducing him to the Don’t Forget Them Association, the president of the Ivory Coast.

It ultimately led to Kone’s selection to represent his country at the 2019 Homeless World Cup in Cardiff.

He had never flown on a plane before, let alone at the UK tournament.

A 16-year-old Kone relocated to east London’s Hackney after winning the Homeless World Cup.

And there, a purely by chance encounter would cause him to sign for Athletic Newham, a non-league team in the Eastern Counties League Division One South, the 10th tier of the English football pyramid.

According to Robert Kone, “History with Athletic Newham began in Hackney Marshes, in the most unexpected of places,” according to Athletic Newham chairman Kennedy Tavares.

When I noticed him, he was out playing football on his own. Richard immediately caught my attention for something.

We never looked back when I asked him to join the team for training, and we never looked back. An incredible time spent at the club followed.

On his September 2019 debut against Fire United, Kone immediately scored a hat-trick.

In his first two seasons with Athletic Newham, Kone helped them advance to the Essex Senior League in 2021, scoring 25 goals in 40 games across all competitions.

His scoring prowess grew as he scored 82 goals in 90 games over the course of the following two seasons.

Professional clubs could not help but protest Kone’s prolific finishing ability by the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Wycombe Wanderers, a League One team, extended Kone’s trial that summer.

In the months that followed, he scored 18 more goals for Athletic Newham, and he signed for the Chairboys at the age of 20.

As they say, history is the rest.

And Kone’s 3-1 win over Peterborough in October 2024, which was the club’s fastest-ever EFL hat-trick within nine minutes, literally made history.

In August, he was also given the PFA League One player of the year award.

After attending the EFL Awards in April of this year, Kone declared, “It’s an unbelievable accomplishment.”

“I wouldn’t have imagined this two years ago, and it’s amazing to be in the team of the season and to have won two awards.”

Sam Avery, a BBC Three Counties Radio commentator, called Kone’s rise to prominence as one of the most sought-after strikers in the EFL “nothing short of remarkable.”

Kone quickly established himself as an important player and very impressive goalscorer, according to Avery, who was brought in as an unknown quantity and from the ninth tier.

“He took his every step and demonstrated maturity beyond his years,” he said, “even when the spotlight was on him.”

Regardless of where Kone is playing his football, it seems like he has never lost his charisma throughout his entire career.

Tavares remarked, “Richard was the kind of player who just loved the game.”

Another milestone, perhaps the biggest of them all, was just around the corner, as has been the case throughout Kone’s rollercoaster journey over the past two years.

His first senior call-up and debut in the Ivory Coast.

Kone made his first international appearance on November 18th, 1993, in Al-Seeb as a 62nd-minute substitute in a 2-0 friendly win over Oman.

After signing for QPR, Kone stated on the Rising Ballers YouTube channel, “That’s what I’m playing football for, to represent my country at international level.”

“Afcon, perhaps the World Cup,” I thought, “because I’m always fighting and striving to be best so I can get called up.”

Tavares claimed Kone “always knew there was something special about it” at Athletic Newham.

“Those who saw him every day will not be surprised by his progress, and he has eventually gotten the opportunity he deserved,” he continued.

Kone, who attended the Homeless World Cup six years ago, still remembers where it all began and described the experience as “life-changing.”

He said, “It gave me the opportunity to grow and set me on the path to where I am today.”

The organizers of the Homeless World Cup said they had “watched with enormous pride” as Kone transitioned from a non-league player to an international.

According to spokesperson Matthew Williams, Richard’s story demonstrates the true potential of each and every player who enters our competition, showing that extraordinary things can happen with support, opportunity, and belief.

Richardson “embodies the Homeless World Cup spirit,” he said, adding that his success demonstrates how football can change people’s lives.

Kone stated at the 2019 tournament that he wanted to return to school and “pose the possibility of becoming a lawyer or doctor.”