Few footballers have ventured into the sport, where their family ends up making more headlines than themselves. One such case, however, is Fulham’s 25-year-old full-back, Calvin Bassey, who has been making the news with his commanding performances for the London club’s backline.
Similarly, his brother Matthew Bassey, who rose from the dark streets of Newham, has been commanding the stage and mic, rising to the spotlight alongside his brother with his stage name Y.CB.
While Calvin’s career has taken him across Europe, starting with Rangers, to Ajax, and now to Fulham, his brother has also carved his own journey away from football. Y.CB grew up listening to UK rap mixtapes and developing his own music on street corners. Matthew and Calvin also have two other younger brothers, called Elvis and Michael Bassey.
Urbannmusic asks why Y.CB is still on the streets when his brother, Fulham player Calvin Bassey, is earning Premier League money 💭 pic.twitter.com/KKsjuTUdQv
— 🇯🇲 TMC Music Connoisseur (@MusicConnoisseu) October 16, 2025
Unlike Calvin, Matthew “Y.CB” Bassey has not had a comfortable path in his journey, as he has gotten in trouble with the law multiple times. Described as a member of the UKL drill group 7th (7th gang), he is a well-known rapper in the music communities of East London with local sway.
He was once viewed as someone who would follow the footsteps of his elder brother(as he once used to play for Watford’s academy), but instead ended up carving his own way in the street/music world. Calvin Bassey’s route to Premier League football was a path paved with thorns. His family was abandoned by his father when he was hardly 6 years old, and they had to shift from his hometown in Italy to the dark streets of Newham, London.
Bassey remembers his earlier years in Newham as a ‘warzone’ where kids either joined gangs or played football to find a way out. Calvin himself tried for multiple academies and got rejected.
Despite the setbacks, Bassey kept going, and just before he was about to give up on his dream of making it as a footballer, he aced the trial at Leicester’s academy. What followed was nothing short of a fairytale as he would later venture to Rangers, where he flourished as a defender and became their highest sale ever when he was sold to Ajax.
As per multiple reports, Y.CB has been involved in an incident where he survived being shot in the head and stabbed.
He has also served around 20 months in prison for carrying deadly weapons after a street attack, which is only a glimpse of the stark difference in the lives of two footballers.
Matthew’s story is very similar to another footballer who could’ve been his brother’s teammate, named Quincy Promes. Promes was ruling the pitch with his flair on the field, but was also involved in the world of crime beyond football, which eventually ended up derailing his career.
Calvin Bassey was born in Aosta, Italy, to Nigerian parents but was raised in London’s Newham. His family is of Igbo Nigerian heritage, and he represents the country internationally.
The two brothers were recently captured after Matthew’s release from prison on social media.
The brothers realise the difference in lifestyle choices they have made and remain silent from commenting on each other professionally.
