Kenya’s rising football sensation Aldrine Kibet has officially signed a four-year deal with La Liga club Celta Vigo, marking a major milestone in his meteoric rise from schoolboy standout to European football prospect.
The 18-year-old midfielder, who emerged as a breakout star during the 2023 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) games with St. Anthony’s Boys – Kitale, will initially join Celta Fortuna, the club’s youth and reserve outfit, until 2029.
The Spanish club confirmed the signing on Monday, praising the Kenya U20 international for his “speed, ball skills, and scoring instinct,” adding that they are betting on his “projection and quality” to strengthen the squad under coach Fredi Álvarez.
Kibet completed his medical earlier this week, finalizing a free transfer from Spain’s Nastic Sports Academy, where he moved in 2023 after impressing at the national school games and later CECAFA U18 and AFCON U20 qualifiers.
In just over a year, Kibet rose from local pitches in Kakamega to becoming a Sports Personality of the Month and a key part of Kenya’s historic qualification for the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations, where he netted five goals.
Should he break into Celta’s first team, Kibet will become only the third Kenyan to feature in La Liga, following McDonald Mariga (Real Sociedad, 2011–12) and Michael Olunga (Girona, 2017–18).
