The new Premier League season is just around the corner and football fans - both inside of England and abroad - are salivating at yet another blockbuster year. Manchester City head into the new campaign as the reigning champions, a moniker they have held for four straight seasons. They are aiming to make it five on the spin this term and, with firepower such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, they are the heavy favourites to emerge victorious.
City have two traditional heavyweights hunting them down. Arsenal have finished as runners-up in each of their last two campaigns, taking the title race down to the final day last season. This year, they will be aiming to go one better. Liverpool will also be hoping to remain in contention despite the departure of Jurgen Klopp.
The Premier League has millions of supporters in Kenya, with the country's famously passionate supporters flocking in their droves to support their favourite teams. But just which teams have the most supporters in the Pride of Africa? Let's find out.
Chelsea
Chelsea tops the list as the most supported Premier League team in not just Kenya, but Africa as a whole. The club's popularity sky-rocketed after Roman Abramovich took over in 2004, with the Russian oligarch ushering in an era of success laden with domestic silverware and two Champions League triumphs. Since then, the club has fallen down the pecking order somewhat, despite spending over £1 billion on players in the last two years.
BetMGM, a market leading bookmaker in the UK, has made Chelsea a distant 15/1 fourth favourite for the title this season. They have a bet £10 get £60 offer for first deposits ahead of the new season and the T&C can be read here, providing you with the details of how exactly the bonus bets are paid out.
Although the West London club have a lot of work to do to make the top spots, the key to their fanbase in the country is the influence of African legends like Didier Drogba, John Obi-Mikel, Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou. Those four players were key to Jose Mourinho's revolution in the mid-to-late 2000s. Three of them remained in 2012 as the Blues won the Champions League for the first time in history with a penalty shootout victory against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.
Drogba, in particular, became a cult hero, inspiring many young Africans with his exceptional performances and charismatic personality. While the maverick Ivorian has since retired, his beloved fan base remains and still adorns the famous royal blue shirt.
Manchester United
Manchester United shares the spotlight with their rivals from London. Unlike the Blues, their fan base has been built on the back of pure success. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils emerged as the powerhouse of English football, winning the Premier League 13 times during his 27-year stint as manager. His crowning moment was leading the club to the treble in 1999, winning both the league and the FA Cup, as well as coming back from the dead with two goals in injury time to win the Champions League in the Nou Camp against Bayern Munich.
Another reason for the United's massive fan base in Kenya is the sheer number of icons that have played for the club over the years. Initially, it was David Beckham, who became the beautiful game's first bonafide megastar around the turn of the millennium. Then came a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, who took Beckham's famous number 7 shirt to heights never before seen. CR7 would lead the club to back-to-back Champions League finals in 2008 and 2009, winning the first against Chelsea in Moscow before losing to Barcelona in Rome the following year.
