Kelvin John: Tanzania’s Teen Wonder

Kelvin John was born on 10 June 2003 in the Tanzanian city of Morgoro, which lies at the base of the famous Uluguru Mountains. John rose to prominence at 14 years of age when he played for Tanzania at the 2018 Under 17 CECAFA Championship held in Burundi. Later in the same year he played for his country's under 17 team in the 2019 Under-17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Central and East Africa Zone qualifying tournament. They finished third at the tournament. 

Subsequently, at the 2019 Under 17 AFCON, hosted by Tanzania, they finished bottom of their group. Despite the disappointing finish of Tanzania at the 2019 Under-17 AFCON, John was a standout performer and received a call up to the senior men's team as a result. He made his debut as a second half substitute versus Kenya in a second-round match of the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers on 28 July 2019. At 16 years of age, he became one of the youngest players to have appeared for Tanzania's senior men's team. 

2019 finished in the perfect way for John as he starred for Tanzania's Under-20 team at the 2019 Under 20 CECAFA Championship. The six goals he scored propelled them to the final, which they won 1-0 against Kenya. His exploits earned him the top goalscorer and Most Valuable Player awards.