The merest whisper of his family name is enough to make goalposts tremble at Elland Road and fire images of thunderous volleys crashing into woodwork and whistling into the net.
Kelvin Yeboah however is beginning to shake football with goals of his own. He has been prolific in two years at Minnesota United after a remarkable personal odyssey from Ghana via Italy and the 10th tier of the English football pyramid.
Now, he is preparing for another MLS season with dreams of one day reaching the Premier League and performing at a World Cup.
‘As a footballer, you want to play on the biggest stages and express who you are as a person,’ the 25-year-old tells Daily Mail Sport from his training camp in Palm Springs, California. ‘I just want to keep scoring goals and give myself the best chance of that happening.’
Kelvin is a nephew of Tony Yeboah, a Leeds legend of the mid-90s whose iconic Goal of the Season volley against Wimbledon still features on the opening credits for BBC‘s Match of the Day.
Tony, 59, is living in Ghana, managing hotels and other properties, from where he provides a reliable supply of support and advice for the latest exponent in the art of goals from the family.
Kelvin Yeboah has been prolific over the last two years with MLS side Minnesota United
Kelvin is the 25-year-old nephew of Tony Yeboah, a Leeds United legend of the mid-1990s
Kelvin was born in Accra and moved with his parents to Italy at the age of three. They lived in Novara, 30 miles west of Milan, and he played at various clubs including Gozzano and Monza before leaving for London at 15 to study and search for a career in football.
He lived in Camberwell with family and played for AC London in the Combined Counties League. ‘I’d wake up at six, do a few push-ups and go for a run in the park then come back home and dress for college,’ says Yeboah.
‘After college, I’d go either with AC London or I’d jump on a 345 bus to meet a coach called Errol who used to keep me fit and refine my skills and make sure I was ready for any trials and upcoming opportunities.’
Doncaster turned Yeboah down on a trial. West Ham liked him and wanted him back for a closer look with a view to joining their academy, but Yeboah’s mind was set on senior football.
There were more trials in Sweden and Denmark before his breakthrough came in Austria with WSG Tirol at the age of 18, helping them win promotion. ‘I scored a decisive goal and that’s basically what earned me the chance to stay for another year,’ says Yeboah.
Boss Thomas Silberberger converted him from a winger to a striker and Yeboah is grateful to Zlatko Dedic, a former Slovenia international forward who joined WSG in Wattens at the end of his playing career and taught him the craft.
In September 2019, he scored four in a cup tie against Austria Vienna which coincided with a visit from his uncle.
‘Tony came to watch the game,’ says Yeboah. ‘My Mum and Dad were there too, and I can remember before the game my Dad saying, “hey, you should go and touch his feet so you’re sure to score”.
Kelvin was turned down by clubs such as Doncaster before breaking through in Austria
Tony’s volley versus Wimbledon still features in the opening credits for BBC’s Match of the Day
‘When I was a kid, my Dad would tell me stories about Tony. We had some old video cassettes of goals he scored for Leeds and Eintracht Frankfurt, and we’d watch them together then go outside and I’d try to recreate them.
‘My Dad always admired the work Tony put in. Work hard, don’t rely on others. That was his motto. So, I went across and rubbed my hands on Tony’s legs and asked him to transmit a little bit of his striker’s instinct.’
Four goals later, the magic seemed to have rubbed off, and Kelvin’s career took off. ‘Our relationship is one where if I feel like I need advice with my career I will just call him,’ says Yeboah. ‘I talk to him and yeah, he’s there for me and that’s great.
‘For the most part it’s when I’m going through the big decision-making stuff.
‘He really simplifies the game. He would always tell me to go out and have fun because you always play at your best when you are relaxed and joyful, in love with the game. I’m starting to understand what he meant because when you grow up you can complicate things, start thinking too much.’
Yeboah’s four goals left a lasting impression on Austria Vienna boss Christian Ilzer, now head coach of Hoffenheim in Germany. When Ilzer took charge of Sturm Graz he signed Yeboah in January 2021.
One year in Graz produced 20 goals, 10 assists, a call up for Italy U21s and a £6million move to Genoa at the age of 21. The Serie A club, however, were soon mired in financial crisis relating to owners 777 Partners and relegated.
Players and staff went unpaid and Yeboah ended up going on three different loans to three different countries. ‘It should have been perfect, going back to where I started in Italy, but Genoa was difficult,’ he admits.
Kelvin had a spell in Italy, where he grew up, before moving to Minnesota under Eric Ramsay
Instead, stability came at Minnesota United under the tutelage of Eric Ramsay, who was appointed as West Bromwich Albion boss in January. Yeboah scored nine in his first MLS season and 13 in his second.
His style is more often akin to classic Italian goal poacher Filippo Inzaghi than the big traditional, back-to-goal target man like his uncle Tony. ‘I’m more of a modern nine,’ he says. ‘I like to dribble. I try to find the space behind and last season I scored a lot of what I call Inzaghi goals.
‘There’s a goal my Dad loves from the season before last, left foot against LA Galaxy in the playoffs, and one I scored on my debut that I chipped over the goalkeeper [against Seattle Sounders], those are two of my favourites.’
Goals attract attention and though happy with life in Minnesota, Yeboah has a professional athlete’s ambition to make the most of his talent. ‘To play in the Premier League would complete a circle. If I can keep scoring goals, I believe that can happen,’ he says.
There are international dreams, too. Yeboah collected four caps for Italy U21s. Before that, he answered a call for Ghana’s U18s only for that opportunity to be curtailed by an ankle injury.
He planned to sample both to best inform any decisions if the choice came his way and he remains eligible for both, but he admits he would love the chance to represent Ghana, the country of his birth, for whom Tony scored 29 goals in 59 appearances.
‘Unless you have dual nationality it is difficult to understand,’ says Yeboah. ‘I will always be grateful to Italy because it gave me and my family opportunities we might not have had in Ghana.
‘Now I’ve lived and played in so many different countries and as you grow you understand it is about culture. My Mum and Dad are Ghanaian. We grew up eating fufu and speaking Ghanaian language. The opportunity to play for Ghana would be amazing, a dream.’
There is no shortage of prestigious attacking talent in the squad. Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City and Mohamed Kudus of Tottenham among them but keep an eye on Yeboah in the months ahead.
Ghana are drawn to play England in the World Cup at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, in June.