When people hear the name Montel McKenzie, the first thing that comes to their mind is Love Island. But within mere minutes of being within his presence, it’s clear to see he is so much more than just another reality TV star.
The 28-year-old is now a staple of the Baller League, a six-a-side tournament once dubbed ‘the future of football’ fronted by influencers, celebrities, and former football stars, which returns on Monday night live on Sky Sports for its third season in the UK.
‘After going on the show, you get branded as a TV star and whatnot, but if you know me, you know that I’m very focused on football,’ McKenzie tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘It’s just something that I have always tried to excel at.
‘So being given this opportunity to be on Sky Sports, and be in front of all these celebrities and influencers, it’s helped me to put my mark down that I am a footballer.
‘You don’t see me play at Folkestone, so Baller League and Sky Sports on a Monday night has given me the platform to show that I do both, and both to a pretty high standard.’
McKenzie shot to fame in 2023 when he appeared on Love Island, a popular dating show hosted by Maya Jama, which sees a cohort of singletons thrown into a villa in search of love.
He has since amassed 165,000 followers on Instagram, and, as his agency, Outreach Talent Group, says on its website, he has a ‘passion for fashion and lifestyle’.
However, that is just a small spec of who McKenzie actually is. Before the show, he was a semi-professional footballer playing right-back for National League South side Hemel Hempstead.
These days, when not in front of the flashing lights and cameras in the Baller League, the defender’s main focus lies with seventh-tier side Folkestone Invicta.
But initially finding a club after life on Love Island, a show he also appeared on in 2025 through the All-Stars installment, proved more arduous for McKenzie than he was expecting.
Montel McKenzie made a name for himself on the UK version of dating show Love Island
He has now found love with Alisha Lehmann, who plays professionally for Leicester City
‘It’s something that I found difficult,’ McKenzie adds. ‘Initially, I thought it would help me because I thought there would be more eyes on me, or people would just be watching out for me more.
‘But it actually didn’t help me. A lot of managers didn’t sign me because they thought, “Oh, he might not be serious about football”, so it kind of gives you a bad name in that space.
‘You know, football, they don’t really like the showbusiness of it, they want to keep it very football.
‘It’s the same with people who have personalities; they don’t want people to show the other side of them. Which is why I think Baller League is so good because you can express your personality, do your celebrations, and talk a bit of smack.
‘It just makes it a lot more fun for the players, and more enjoyable for the viewers as well.’
McKenzie has played in both seasons of the Baller League thus far, starting with YouTuber TBJZL’s team, VZN FC, before moving to MVPs United – a team no longer part of the league – in the second season.
At MVPs he was coached by Jama, who he knew well from Love Island, and Leicester City footballer Alisha Lehmann, somebody who has gone on to become very important in his life.
While the tournament has unusual rules – including long-range strikes counting as two goals – much of its allure comes from the personnel involved, such as Jama and Lehmann, and, of course, McKenzie himself.
But all is not what it seems when it comes to the coaches. The Baller League operation is more substantial and intricate than it appears when it comes to coaching the stars involved, and the commitment to success in the competition.
McKenzie (pictured on right) finds time to play in the Baller League as well as in non-league
McKenzie was managed by Maya Jama and Lehmann in the Baller League last season
He continues: ‘All the managers, they actually have a head coach [alongside them] as well, that’s somebody from a football background. Every team is different, but they take the training sessions and are more involved with picking the players.
‘But the managers, obviously if you have an ex-pro they will add. Obviously, we had Alisha, she knows about football so she was giving her piece on how we were playing. Then if you have Maya, she’s more inspirational, give us a little team talk before the game and boosts our confidence.
‘It was sick. I knew Maya already from the show, but when they give you the energy on the sideline just giving you that push. Just seeing them there makes you play better.
‘Tactically maybe not so much as they are not so involved. But their spirit on the sidelines was nice for us boys.
‘All the managers, they don’t want to feel like the character they are known for. They want to be a bit more serious. At the end of the day the players are taking it serious, so when your manager is messing around it doesn’t set the right tone.
‘After season one, I said I couldn’t play for a manager pulling stunts. I’m genuinely there to win.’
Through playing for MVPs, McKenzie went on to strike what they call in Love Island a ‘strong connection’ with Lehmann.
The pair went public with their romance in January, and have since shared multiple videos training together, with Lehmann – a Swiss international – now back in England with Leicester City, after stints with Juventus and FC Como in Italy.
When Daily Mail Sport asked McKenzie whether it felt strange to be coached by his girlfriend last season, he made it clear that it only made him better out on the pitch.
‘Throughout most of the season, we weren’t speaking,’ McKenzie says. ‘It wasn’t like the whole season she was my girlfriend. It was more like halfway through toward the end.
‘But definitely once we did start speaking, it made me play a lot better. Knowing that she was on the side, if I made a bad pass, I needed to get back and needed to go score.
‘Naturally, it gives you that push like having a family member or friend watching.’
While the pressure of having Lehmann, who is one of the most recognisable faces in women’s football, on the sidelines as coach may have diminished for McKenzie; the figure replacing her might be even more imposing.
For the third season, McKenzie will captain newcomers Prime FC, coached by none other than the league’s president and one of Britain’s biggest internet stars, KSI.
McKenzie’s first two seasons in the competition haven’t been what he calls ‘super successful’ but he’s hoping that playing for the ‘best team’ means that it’s third time lucky.
