•Barely in his late 20s, the mercurial forward has already traversed three continents while plying trade for different foreign outfits.
•Olunga has scaled the heights hardly attained by other Kenyan footballers in the past.
Image: FILE
Harambee Stars skipper, Michael Olunga, can aptly be described as one of the most prolific strikers Kenya has ever produced over time.
Barely in his late 20s, the mercurial forward has already traversed three continents while plying trade for different foreign outfits.
The Harambee Stars captain currently turns out for Qatari top-flight club Al Duhail, where he has managed to score 35 goals in 36 appearances thus far.
Olunga has scaled the heights hardly attained by other Kenyan footballers in the past. Only recently, the Kenyan football prodigy rubbed shoulders with celebrated five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in an AFC Champions League duel staged last Tuesday, where he netted a goal and provided an assist.
Despite his sublime form in the match, Olunga's club Al Duhail crashed 4-3 to Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Olunga found the back of the net in the 85th minute, just four minutes after Cristiano had bagged a brace, but his zealous effort was not enough to salvage Duhail from the jaws of defeat.
The erstwhile Gor Mahia striker has now torn holes in the back of the net 36 times since joining the coach Christophe Galtier-tutored side.
Despite his scintillating form at the club level, Olunga has struggled to replicate his exploits while donning the national team colours.
Image: HANDOUT
His goal drought in his last three appearances for Harambee Stars has elicited mixed reactions from the country's ardent fans who continue to vent out their spleen about his bluntness in front of the goal.
The chorus to have him replaced with Gor Mahia FC's sensational forward Benson Omalla has reached fever pitch.
So much is the criticism targeting Olunga that former Harambee Stars captain Dennis 'The Menace' Oliech jumped to his rescue in a recent interview.
Oliech, who scored 34 goals in 76 caps for Stars between 2002 and 2014, insists Olunga is one of the best strikers Kenya has had.
“He is the best striker we have in Kenya and has been the top scorer for the national team for two years in a row. Is there anybody else who can step into his shoes at the moment? I highly doubt,” Oliech quipped.
Oliech has urged Kenyans to spare Olunga unwarranted slack, pointing out that going for three consecutive matches without striking the back of the net does not necessarily mean the striker has become irrelevant.
“I don't believe for a single moment that Olunga has lost his form. Olunga remains one of the best strikers the country has at the moment. He has been instrumental in Harambee Stars' wins in the past," Oliech said.
Image: /FILE
“He has scored the most number of goals for the national team," he added.
Olunga traces his rich football history in Nairobi’s Lucky Summer estate, where he grew up as the last born among six siblings.
During his formative years, Olunga had always nurtured the lofty dream of flying airplanes and if possible, pursuing a career in aeronautical engineering.
The lanky forward lavished praise on his mother, attributing his good upbringing and success in life to her strict nature and the values she instilled in them.
“My mum is a very strong woman, who pulled all her resources together to provide for all of us in the family," Olunga said.
However, Olunga encountered a challenge in persuading his mother to allow him to carve a path in football.
“Initially, she didn't seem to welcome the idea of me pursuing a football career. It took a lot of persuasion before she got convinced. For example, as I was leaving the country for Sweden, she seemed worried because it was the first time I was going far away from the family," he added.
Olunga said his mother's fears were justified given he was the first person in the family to jet out of the country. "The situation was compounded by the fact that I was last born,” Olunga said.
His humble beginnings motivated him to aspire to new heights in life so that he could disentangle himself from the challenges he and his family faced.
Image: @theharambeestars
"Life in Lucky Summer was a big challenge. I started off playing football barefoot, thus exposing myself to a string of injuries because of the rough terrain we played on," Olunga remarked.
Born on March 26, 1994, Olunga attended Baba Dogo Primary School before proceeding to Upper Hill School for his high school education.
He would later secure admission to the Technical University of Kenya where he studied Geospatial Engineering after scoring an A- in his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.
He was scouted by renowned Kenyan tactician and Radio Jambo presenter Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee who enlisted him at the Liberty Sports Academy.
Olunga featured for the academy in the lower-tier leagues from 2012–2016, scoring 32 goals.
His meteoric rise in football began immediately after he joined Upper Hill School in Nairobi County where he successfully juggled academics and football.
“I had set my mind on becoming a pilot or an aeronautical engineer. However, my interest in football also grew with time,” Olunga said.
So good was he in the sport that he emerged as one of the best players and even bagged the Golden Boot award while featuring for Upper Hill in the secondary school games.
“My success in high school games gave me a different perspective of football and I started viewing things quite differently. It was then that the idea of pursuing a football career struck my mind," Olunga said.
His success immediately sparked countrywide admiration from a wide array of clubs and it was not long before top-flight behemoth Tusker came knocking on his door.
He landed a deal with Ruaraka-based Brewers in 2013 and managed to net three goals for the club in 15 appearances.
Olunga shifted allegiance to Thika United in the following season where he scored nine goals in 15 appearances.
His most memorable season on the local terrain was in 2015 when he signed up for record Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia, helping them to clinch the title with 19 goals to his credit.
Olunga felt a sudden urge to seek a new challenge outside the country after battling in the local league for several years. He was barely 21 years old when he sought greener pastures overseas.
“I had already bagged the MVP award and won the league with Gor Mahia in 2015 and I believed I was ripe enough to showcase my talent abroad," Olunga remarked.
Image: FILE
His journey as a professional footballer outside the country successfully took off in 2016 when he linked up with Swedish club Derjurgårdens IF and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances.
Olunga would later pen a deal with Chinese side Guizhou Zhicheng for the 2017–2018 season. His stay at the club was short-lived given he managed only nine appearances, scoring two goals in the process.
He went on to seal a deal with Spanish side Girona during the 2017-2018 season and scored three goals in 14 appearances.
Before joining Al-Duhail in 2021, Olunga plied trade for Kashiwa Reysol from 2018 to 2021 in the Japanese top-tier competition where he netted 58 goals in 72 appearances.
Olunga derives great inspiration from Dutch football legend Robin Van Persie, whom he describes as his role model.
“I share something special with Robin Van Persie given he’s also left-footed. I study a lot of his videos and try as much as I can to replicate his fine form in my performances," Olunga said.
Olunga still nurses ambitions to feature for his childhood dream club Real Madrid.
He asked budding footballers to exercise a lot of patience even as they seek to attain the heights he has so far accomplished.
"There is no shortcut to success. They must be ready to put in a lot of effort in whatever they choose to do with their lives. Opportunities are limited but they they always find those who are focused enough."
Olunga spends his free time watching movies and listening to Kenyan news, and Kenyan music.
BIO:
Name: Michael Olunga
Date of birth: March 26, 1994
Height: 1.93 m
CAREER
Liberty Sports Academy (2012–2016)- Scored 32 goals.
Tusker (2013)- Scored 3 goals in 15 appearances.
Thika United (2014)- Scored 9 goals in 15 appearances.
Gor Mahia (2015)- Scored 19 goals in 27 appearances.
Djurgårdens IF (2016)
Guizhou Zhicheng (2017–2018)-
Girona (2017-2018)
Kashiwa Reysol (2018-2021)
Al-Duhail (2021 till date)
Awards
Kenyan Super Cup- 2013
Kenya Premier League- 2014 and 2015
Kenyan Super Cup- 2015
J2 League- 2019
Kenya Premier Top 8 Cup- 2015
Kenya Premier League player of the year- 2015
Japanese League MVP Award- 2020
Japanese League Top Scorer- 2020
Kenyan Outstanding Sports Personality of the Year