Kai McKenzie-Lyle
Footballer (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kai John Oliver Milton McKenzie-Lyle (born 30 November 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Kosovo Superleague club Ferizaj. Born in England, he represents Guyana at international level.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kai John Oliver Milton McKenzie-Lyle[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 30 November 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Haringey, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ferizaj | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2011 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| 2011–2014 | Barnet | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2018 | Barnet | 1 | (0) |
| 2016 | → Cockfosters (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2017 | → St Ives Town (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Hayes & Yeading United (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Cambridge United | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Chelmsford City (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Welling United | 16 | (0) |
| 2024 | Folkestone Invicta | 13 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Oxford City | 27 | (0) |
| 2025 | Welling United | 3 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 6 | (0) |
| 2026– | Ferizaj | 12 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016– | Guyana | 14 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:30, 22 June 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 11:50, 1 December 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Barnet
McKenzie-Lyle joined Tottenham Hotspur as under-10, before he moved to Barnet as an under-14 and progressed through the club's academy to become first choice keeper for the under-18s,[3] and made his senior debut with a start in a 3–0 Herts Senior Cup defeat to Bishop's Stortford on 21 January 2014.[4] He first appeared on the bench in the league in October 2014.[5] He made his English Football League debut on 12 September 2015 in a 3–1 League Two away defeat by Portsmouth,[6] coming on as a substitute for John Akinde after regular goalkeeper Jamie Stephens had been sent-off.[7] McKenzie-Lyle joined St Ives Town in August 2017 on loan.[8] He then joined Hayes & Yeading United on loan in December 2017.[9]
Liverpool
McKenzie-Lyle joined Liverpool on trial in July 2018.[10] He then signed for the Reds the following month.[11] McKenzie-Lyle was released in June 2020, having played just twice for the under-23s in Premier League 2.[12]
Cambridge United
On 1 September 2020, McKenzie-Lyle joined League Two club Cambridge United on a two-year deal.[13] On 25 March 2022, Chelmsford City announced the signing of McKenzie-Lyle on loan.[14]
McKenzie-Lyle was released by the club at the end of the 2021–22 season.[15]
Non-league
McKenzie-Lyle joined Welling United in August 2022.[5]
On 6 February 2024, Mckenzie-Lyle joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Folkestone Invicta.[16]
McKenzie-Lyle joined Oxford City for the 2024–25 season.[17]
On 30 September 2025, McKenzie-Lyle returned to Welling United, now of the Isthmian League Premier Division.[18] He departed the club one month later having made three appearances.[19] In November 2025, he joined National League South club Dagenham & Redbridge on non-contract terms.[20]
International career
McKenzie-Lyle was called up to Guyana's squad for their third round matches of 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification,[21] after being alerted to his eligibility by Jack Thorpe, a researcher for the Football Manager game.[22] He made an unusual international debut for a goalkeeper,[23] scoring a header in the 120th minute of a 3–2 loss against Suriname.[24] On his second appearance he saved a penalty against Jamaica.[25]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
- As of 31 October 2025
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barnet | 2013–14[4] | Conference Premier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[27] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16[6] | League Two | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[28][29] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18[30][31] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Cockfosters (loan) | 2015–16[32] | Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division | 8 | 0 | ― | ― | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| St Ives Town (loan) | 2017–18[27] | Southern League Premier Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 6 | 0 | ||
| Hayes & Yeading United (loan) | 2017–18[27] | Southern League First Division East | 7 | 0 | ― | ― | 1[c] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Liverpool | 2018–19[5] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019–20[5] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cambridge United | 2020–21[33] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021–22[34] | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Chelmsford City (loan) | 2021–22[5] | National League South | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Welling United | 2022–23[5] | National League South | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 6[e] | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| Folkestone Invicta | 2023–24[35] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Oxford City | 2024–25[5] | National League North | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[f] | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| Welling United | 2025–26[36] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 91 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 125 | 0 | ||
- Appearance in Herts Senior Cup
- Appearance in Middlesex Senior Cup
- Appearance in Southern League Challenge Cup
- Appearance in the EFL Trophy
- Two appearances in the FA Trophy, three appearances in the Kent Senior Cup, one appearance in the London Senior Cup
International
- As of match played 25 March 2025[23]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guyana | 2016 | 2 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Guyana's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McKenzie-Lyle goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 October 2016 | André Kamperveen Stadion, Paramaribo, Suriname |  Suriname | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification | [23] |
