The moment Everton’s futuristic Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium opened, someone was going to make history. But nobody expected that first historic goal to come from a teenager born thousands of miles away in Kenya. Ray Roberts seized the moment, struck the ball cleanly, and became the first-ever player to score in the new stadium. Just like that, a boy from Nairobi carved his name into Everton folklore.
Now, the journey has gone official. Roberts has signed a three-year professional contract with Everton’s Under-18s, marking one of the biggest European breakthroughs for a young Kenyan footballer in recent years.
Raised in Kenya before moving abroad to pursue football, Roberts carries qualities coaches can’t teach: fearless energy, clinical finishing, and composure far beyond his age. That stadium goal wasn’t a lucky moment. But it was a revelation. When the stage is big, the lights bright, and the pressure real, this kid delivers.
Everton’s academy is no playground. It’s the same system that produced Wayne Rooney and shaped Anthony Gordon. Standards are ruthless, and competition is relentless. But Roberts has arrived and thrived. His sharp positioning, intelligent movement, and ice-cold finishing have already turned heads internally.
For Kenya, this is a statement. A reminder that raw talent from the streets of Nairobi can stand toe-to-toe with Europe’s best when given a pathway. It is a door opening, and Ray is holding it wide.
He is still under eighteen. The road ahead is long, full of pressure and possibility. But right now, he wears Everton blue, carrying dreams far bigger than his own. And it has only just begun.
By Kamaru Mathenge
