Aldrine Kibet: Training WIth Marcos Alonso, Iago Aspas at Celta Vigo, Harambee Stars Call Up and Advice to Young Players

Aldrine Kibet is a player that has been grabbing headlines since his breakthrough in 2023, with the Celta Vigo star now part of the Harambee Stars squad for the first time ever.

Aldrine Kibet is a player that has enjoyed a remarkable rise to stardom since he first took breaths away at the 2023 Kenya Secondary School Games while representing St. Anthony’s Boys, Kitale.

As if being named most valuable player was not enough, he earned a scholarship to join Spain’s Nastic Soccer Academy, where he was able to hone his skills for another one and a half years before earning a move to Celta Vigo last June.

Meanwhile, he has also steadily progressed through the Junior National Sides, first, dominating the CECAFA U18 Boys’ Championships in Kisumu in December 2023, before helping Kenya qualify and participate in the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time in history.

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All this came with a brief cameo for the U23 set up during the 2024 COSAFA Cup. His progression earned him a maiden call up to the set up under coach Benni McCarthy for Harambee Stars’ upcoming games against Equatorial Guinea and Senegal in Turkey.

That development paved the way for his transfer to Celta Vigo in June 2025 — a club renowned for producing technically gifted players and integrating youth into their system. 

But as Kibet quickly learned, breaking into a top European club requires patience and persistence.

Earning His Stripes at Celta Vigo

While Kenyan fans eagerly awaited to see him in La Liga, Kibet has been quietly putting in the work with the Celta B and C sides. It’s a crucial phase, one focused less on showmanship and more on refining the tactical fundamentals required at elite level.

“I have been focusing on the tactical part,” he told Pulse Sports. “Understanding what you should do at particular moments — that is what I am working on at Celta.”

For a teenager arriving from the Kenyan system, mastering the nuances of European football — positional play, ball circulation, transition structure — takes time.

But despite not yet breaking into the first team, Kibet says he draws inspiration from the army of Kenyan supporters flooding Celta’s social media comments asking why he hasn’t been unleashed yet.

“I feel great because the whole Kenya is supporting me. My work is to make them proud… I know I will get there one day.”

Training With Marcos Alonso and Iago Aspas

One of Kibet’s biggest milestones at Celta came when he earned the chance to train with the first team — a moment that left him buzzing with excitement.

“Imagine getting into the dressing room and you are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Marcos Alonso and Iago Aspas,” he said, smiling widely. “It was really great and I cannot wait for more of those opportunities.”

For any young player, sharing a pitch with seasoned internationals is an unmatched learning experience — from professional habits to decision-making speed and technical execution.

His progress has not gone unnoticed at home. After starring for the CECAFA U18 team, helping Kenya qualify for their first-ever U20 AFCON, and making an appearance with the U23s at the 2024 COSAFA Cup, the next step arrived — sooner than expected.

Kibet received his first senior Harambee Stars call-up under head coach Benni McCarthy, himself a former Celta Vigo player.

“Excited beyond belief,” Kibet said of the moment he got the news. “I was not expecting to be part of the team this soon… the goal was to make it by 2027. The call-up came two years earlier.”

McCarthy has been instrumental in guiding him, even advising him to learn Spanish to accelerate his integration at Celta.

“He told me that learning the language will help me understand coaches and teammates better — that will make it easier to get into the team.”

With Celta Vigo participating in the Europa League, Kibet has set his sights on breaking into the first team and tasting European competition.

“My target is to make the first team… Winning that trophy would be a starting point.”

A Message to Young Kenyan Players

Despite the rapid rise, Kibet remains grounded. His advice to aspiring footballers is refreshingly simple — rooted in discipline and sacrifice.

“What you need to achieve your dream as a football player is discipline,” he says. “I put my focus only on training and nothing else. No indulgence in drugs, alcohol — they are distractions that prevent you from achieving what you want.”

He admits the path wasn’t always clear. “I knew I wanted to be here, but I didn’t know how. But it never deterred me. I just promised myself to keep working hard — and here I am now.”