On the day Kenya will be celebrating another year of internal self-rule loved as Madaraka Day on June 1, the country’s most illustrious footballers will be seeking to make history in far away Spain in the European Cup final, known as the Uefa Champions League.
‘Mugabe’ no famous as Victor Wanyama will be featuring for English Premier League side, Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano while Divock Origi, the naturalised Belgium World Cup goal scorer will be wearing the famous red jersey of Liverpool.
Both players started the season as surplus to requirements with Origi refusing to go out on loan for another year away from Anfield while Wanyama was being floated around for a possible move to Italian side, AS Roma.
But as the football season concludes in most of Europe, one of them will be holding aloft the most prestigious diadem in club football. Kenyans will not care a jot who lifts it but they will be proud that for yet another cup final, they will be presented.
Wanyama will follow in the footsteps of his brother big, Macdonald Mariga, who appeared in the Nerrazuri strip of Inter Milan and won that title under Jose Mourinho in 2010.
No one will be more proud than their dad, Noah Wanyama, who already has a medal in his Lavington home brought by Mariga.
No one, except maybe Mike Okoth, the father of Divock, whose pioneering journey as the first Kenyan to play European football in Belgium, opened the doors for his son to have the opportunity to make this history. He scored twice against the mighty Barcelona. From being unwanted, Origi is now the most loved player at Liverpool.
Take this to the bank, the lad will get another improved contract at Anfield. He will be at Liverpool for the next five years because of what he did in the 90th minute against Everton, in the 86th minute against Newcastle and most astonishingly, in the 79th against Leonel Messi-led Barca.
Wanyama will enjoy again two weeks later to yet another historic fete when he becomes the sixth skipper to walk out the national soccer team the Harambee Stars to an appearance at the African Cup of Nations, joining illustrious compatriots like the late Jonathan Niva, Austin Oduor — Origi’s uncle — and Musa Otieno in doing that.
For their achievement with their clubs this year, do not be surprised if another Kenyan joins the famous English Premier League. No longer is the country among the minnows of African football considering they have arguably some of the famous Africans in European football.
With Wanyma in the ranks, Stars will fear nothing when they play Senegal’s Lions of Teranga, at least not like they did when they faced them in 2004 when they had El Hadji Diouf. Now they have Origi’s team-mate Sadio Mane but Kenya will not cower in the face of Senegal neither will they against Riyad Mahrez’s Algeria simply because we have Wanyama leading the team and Divock supporting the team with his dad in Belgium.
