On June 25, 1991, a Kenyan football legend was born. Now he is known as the Lion of Muthurwa, but his journey started off in the simplest of ways: as a young boy with a soccer ball under his arm and a big dream in his heart. With decades of dedication under his belt coupled with a calm, quiet demeanor and razor-sharp focus on his career, Victor Wanyama shows the world what Kenya is made of every time he steps out on the pitch.
Born into a family of seven, good teamwork was a skill life taught him early on; life in a big rambling family demanded that Victor learn how to co-exist with many different people. To avoid the vices that plagued many in his neighborhood of Muthurwa, Wanyama latched onto sports – football in particular. He began playing seriously while at Kamukunji High School and, encouraged by his older brother, he decided to pursue the path of the beautiful game.
Lucky for Victor, he had a community of athletes to learn from, for the Wanyamas are a family of sports greats. His father, Noah, was a national footballer in the 80s and his older brother, McDonald Mariga, was the first Kenyan to play in the UEFA Champions League. As if that isn’t enough, his sister, Mercy Wanyama, is a champion basket-baller who plays for a national Spanish basketball team, making her the first Kenyan to play professionally in Spain. The football gene is also in his two other brothers, Thomas and Sylvester, who are team members on Kenyan football teams. Clearly, sports run in his blood.
After high school, he played for JMJ Youth Academy, honing his skill as a player. He moved between this training ground constantly stalking opportunities with Kenya Premier League teams, Nairobi City Stars and, later, AFC Leopards. During this time, Victor made his debut into the international football scene, playing on the Kenyan national team in a friendly match against Nigeria. At only 15 years old, he was representing our country on a global scale. With every match, talent scouts would take notice of the young man’s playing ability and, in time, his talent earned him a spot on Helsingborg, a team on the Swedish professional football league, crowning his junior career.
His senior career debuted with a successful trial which saw him join Beershot AC, moving on to Celtic, where he became the first Kenyan to score in the UEFA Champions League. Wanyama’s success continued as he moved to Southampton, making him the first Kenyan to play in the English Premier League. Now he plays for Tottenham Hotspur where he continues to make his mark on the international scene.
But never forgetting his roots, Victor Wanyama is also the captain of the Kenyan national team. He has participated in all six of Kenya’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In 2018, he launched the Wanyama Royal Charity Cup, a football tournament aimed at kids from humble backgrounds like he was. He hopes to grow the Charity Cup, accepting more and more teams into the tournament.
We say a big Congratulations to Victor Wanyama for his hard-won success! With the dexterity of his feet and the passion of his heart, the Lion of Muthurwa continues to roar across the globe.
#KeDiaspora
