Kelsy began his professional career in Venezuela with Mineros de Guayana, making his first-team debut in 2021 at just 16 years old. His early arrival in top-flight football highlighted his natural talent, but the journey to join Mineros also demonstrated his determination.
To reach the club, Kelsy had to travel 500 miles from his hometown of Valencia. However, the distance was not his biggest obstacle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a nationwide travel ban was in place, so he hid in a mining truck to avoid detection at checkpoints.
“It wasn’t an appropriate time to be using airports or anything to do with [travel] – so Mineros’ president and my agent had an idea,” Kelsy said earlier this year, speaking to a Portland Timbers blog. “Thinking about it, the idea was crazy to be honest. I was so young, I only let myself be guided by my dreams, not thinking about the craziness of what I was doing. “It was all for my dream, which was to be a professional athlete, to play in Europe.”
The year after his debut, Kelsy began to establish himself, scoring five goals in 24 appearances. That form earned him a move to Europe, with the forward signing for Shakhtar Donetsk after a short spell in Uruguay with Boston River.
Across two title-winning seasons with Shakhtar, Kelsy scored nine goals in 37 appearances while playing against the backdrop of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
“It was my first proper experience outside of my country and a very drastic change – both culturally and sporting,” he added.
“There were times when I lived first hand the attacks on the country, but also saw how the country defended itself,” Kelsy said. “I won’t lie to you, I could see up in the sky war drones getting knocked down. “They are moments that will forge you, mature you. I think ultimately dreams are bigger than anything else, so I tried not to mind all those things the best I could.”
