“Many people know my dad, but Kyreece and I want to surpass him. It will be hard. He played in the Premier League for nine years and scored loads of goals.”
Kyrell Lisbie is chatting to The Athletic about his career ambitions — as he and twin brother Kyreece look to emulate what their father Kevin achieved at the highest level.
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The former Jamaica international scored more than a century of goals across a 20-year professional career, including 14 in 113 Premier League outings.
Lisbie is best known for his time at Charlton Athletic, making 176 appearances for the south-east London club and becoming a fan favourite.
His 19-year-old sons have now started their attempt to follow in their old man’s footsteps.
Both are talented forwards, like their father was. Kyrell plays for Welling United, another south-east London side in the sixth-tier National League South, while Kyreece plies his trade on the other side of the capital for Brentford B, who beat Arsenal Under-21s on Monday night.
But it’s not just been football keeping the Lisbie twins busy.
For the last two years, they have pursued careers in the game while documenting their journeys to hundreds of thousands of followers on social media platform TikTok.
Despite starting their TikTok careers making FIFA videos (clips of the pair playing the popular video game) the Lisbie brothers now use the app to show the ups and downs of being a footballer.
The Lisbie brothers when they were at Watford’s academy“I think our content is relatable,” Kyrell says. “We try and inspire as many young, aspiring footballers as possible. Although we are still very young, we have tried to document our journeys. Whether that’s motivational clips, game highlights, or tips and advice for younger players going through anything.”
Both brothers have received their fair share of knock-backs, and have never shied away from posting about their more disappointing moments.
“Obviously, I’ve been through a lot of rejections in my career so far,” Kyrell added. “Football is an opinions game and one manager’s ‘no’ can be another manager’s ‘yes’. I think it is important for people to see that it is possible to overcome those barriers; it is a part of football and it is possible to bounce back.”
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Kyreece echoed this sentiment, making reference to the unhealthy attitudes apps such as TikTok can often create.
“Social media can be a facade,” Kyrecee said. “Last week I was in Monaco and this week we flew to Portugal. It looks all easy and glamorous, but it’s not. You don’t see the tears that I had when I got released and you don’t see any of the struggles that I went through to get here, so I feel like it’s so important to show both sides sometimes.
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“My fans saw me when I was playing semi-pro and college football, and those same TikTok fans are now seeing me post Monaco v Brentford highlights. I like to take my TikTok fans along with me on the journey, so it’s not just me doing it myself. We are on this journey together.”
Both boys know the lows a young footballer can go through and now aim to change the unhealthy mindsets that permeate the football world.
“The thinking behind this was: we live in a generation and a society where most young footballers have the mindset of if you’re not in an academy by a certain age, then you’re not good enough,” Kyreece added.
“People think if you’re not in an academy by 18, then forget about it. The reason why I have so many followers and why so many people follow my career is because I almost went down a different route. But with my journey, people could buy into the hope.
“I want people to think, ‘If he can do it, I can do it’. I went down a different route and I feel like other people can relate to my story.”
Congratulations to both Kyrell and Kyreece Lisbie have both signed pro with @WatfordFC. pic.twitter.com/QS4dehXdPg
— Brownie_Lili (@Lilibrownie) October 8, 2021
The Lisbie brothers often have young fans in the stands of their games, asking for photos and shirts, which they say is something they are still getting used to.
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“Being recognised on the street and having brands contact us is amazing, but I love when I scroll through my direct messages and read about how people who were about to quit football say that they came across my video and have decided to keep going,” Kyrell said.
“Kyreece and I have had hundreds of people who have signed professional contracts, and scholars at clubs, message us and say that we helped them massively.
“For us to be able to do that, at our young age, is just crazy. I haven’t achieved one per cent of the things I want to do in my career, but for me to have that impact on people is crazy and honestly, it makes my day.”
Kyreece, who like his brother has had spells at Watford and Leyton Orient, said he is also learning to deal with the effects of TikTok stardom.
“It’s a weird feeling when people come up to me asking for pictures, I can’t even describe it.”
Their parents have been extremely supportive in their football careers as well as their TikTok side hustle, especially their mother Joanna, who often volunteers herself as videographer.
“I wouldn’t have any TikToks without my mum. I wouldn’t have the videos to post because most of the videos are from my mum recording,” Kyreece admitted.
Kyreece with mum Joanna and dad Kevin“She’s always there at the games, always there recording.
My dad’s massive. He gives me advice behind the scenes about TikTok and stuff. He sits down with me and always reminds us to have a balance. They never wanted me to get caught up in becoming a TikTok star rather than professional football, and they always make sure that we stay grounded and focused.”
Of course, having to live up to the name of a successful father has also had its challenges.
“There are loads of positives,” Kyreece said, “but of course, there have been some tough times. When I was at Leyton Orient, I got released from the youth team while my dad was still a player at the club, which was definitely a hard moment in my life.
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“My dad, being a professional footballer, of course he knows the level and he knows what I need to do to get there. Sometimes, if he saw that we weren’t doing what we needed to do, he’d be frustrated. I can’t tell you how many times my dad has sat down with me and my twin and told us that if we don’t put in the work we aren’t going to make it as pros.
“It’s really helped me, because if my dad didn’t care he would have just left us and we would not have got to where we are today. We are really grateful for him.”
So how have their team-mates reacted to the twins’ TikTok stardom?
In Kyrell’s case, playing men’s football, the majority of the Welling squad are older than him and show little interest in the platform.
The story is different for Kyreece, however, whose Brentford team-mates often give him stick for his admittedly “cringey” videos — in particular Romeo Beckham.
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“I remember the other day when I posted that TikTok with Romeo, and I was like ‘I scored in front of David Beckham’, I knew the TikTok would go viral but I knew I would get stick from the boys,” Kyreece admitted.
“The video got over two million views and when I walked into training the next day, Romeo gave me a look of disgust. When I walked into the canteen, the boys all had their phones out and were like, ‘Kyreece, what are you doing?’
“It was a bit cringey, I’ll be honest and I knew it would go viral, but the reaction was positive and that’s been massive.”
The brothers have a very close bond, even if Kyrell is eager to overtake his brother in followers.
“He (Kyreece) has breezed past me now. We are really close but we are so competitive,” Kyrell revealed.
“When we are playing football, it always ends in one of us ripping the other one’s shirt or something like that because we’re so competitive, and I think that stems from my dad. When Kyreece went off to Brentford, I was quite emotional. We did everything together and then we kind of separated. It is like having a best friend that does everything together.”
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Kyreece added: “We may not be as talented as other footballers but one thing they can expect is that we will give everything we can. There have been moments when we’ve had nothing and there are moments that we’ve had it all, but we will keep on going.”
(Top photo: Kyreece, left, and Kyrell right)
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