Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Michael Olunga Ogada [1] | ||
Date of birth | 26 March 1994 | ||
Place of birth | Nairobi, Kenya | ||
Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) [2] | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Duhail | ||
Number | 14 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2012–2016 | Liberty Sports Academy | ? | (32) |
2013 | → Tusker (loan) | 18 | (2) |
2014 | → Thika United (loan) | 26 | (9) |
2015 | → Gor Mahia (loan) | 27 | (19) |
2016 | Djurgårdens IF | 27 | (12) |
2017–2018 | Guizhou Zhicheng | 9 | (2) |
2017–2018 | → Girona (loan) | 14 | (3) |
2018–2021 | Kashiwa Reysol | 72 | (58) |
2021– | Al-Duhail | 70 | (70) |
International career‡ | |||
2015– | Kenya | 60 | (29) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:24, 10 August 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:44, 11 June 2024 (UTC) |
Michael Olunga Ogada (born 26 March 1994) is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail and captains the Kenya national team.
While still a student at the Upper Hill School, Olunga began his career with the Liberty Sports Academy in the Nairobi County League. He scored 32 goals for the side during the 2012 season, helping them finish the season unbeaten and earn promotion to the Nairobi Provincial League. [3] [4] He made headlines when he scored seven goals in a single match helping his team to an 8–0 win. [5]
Initially reported to be attending trials in France, Olunga signed for Kenyan Premier League side Tusker on a one-year loan deal from Liberty on 19 December 2012. [6]
After finishing the 2013 season with two goals for Tusker, Olunga was loaned to fellow Premier League side Thika United for another year, [7] before joining Gor Mahia ahead of the 2015 season. [8] He finished the season as the club's top scorer in the league with 19 goals to help the side win a record 15th league title without losing a single match, including the second goal in a 2–0 win over Muhoroni Youth on their final league match of the season. [9]
On 17 February 2016, Olunga joined Swedish side Djurgårdens IF on a four-year contract, after joining the team's pre-season training camp on trial. [10] [11] He scored his first two goals for Djurgården on 8 August 2016 against IFK Göteborg in a 3–1 win. [12] He was also named man of the match [13] and Djurgården coach Mark Dempsey praised him for his match winning heroics. [14] In the next match Olunga scored once again in the 2–2 draw versus IF Elfsborg at the Tele2 Arena. [15] [16] On 27 August, he scored the match-winning goal against Gefle IF with a volley in the 86th minute. In the last 12 games of the Allsvenskan Olunga scored 12 goals which earned him a fifth place in the Allsvenskan top scorer table. [17] He was nominated for Newcomer of the year in Swedish football by a jury of Allsvenskan coaches and Swedish journalists as well as the coaches of the Swedish national teams. The award later went to Alexander Isak.
On 10 November 2016, Kenyan football site Soka reported that Djurgården had turned down offers on Olunga from La Liga side Betis, Lokeren, Belgian champions Club Brugge and Swedish champions Malmö FF. [18]
In 2017, Olunga joined Chinese club Guizhou Zhicheng. [19]
On 1 September 2017, Olunga was loaned to La Liga side Girona FC, for one year. [20] On 13 January 2018, he made his La Liga debut against Las Palmas scoring a hat-trick in the span of 22 minutes during a 6–0 win, becoming both the first Kenyan player and the first Girona player to score a hat-trick in La Liga. [21]
On 10 August 2018, Olunga joined Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol. [22]
On 24 November 2019, he scored eight goals for Kashiwa in a 13–1 victory over Kyoto Sanga. [23] Olunga finished the season with 27 league goals as Kashiwa finished the J2 season as champions and won promotion to the first division. [24]
In J1 League play on 26 July 2020, Olunga scored a hat-trick against Vegalta Sendai; the match finished in a 5–1 victory. [25]
Olunga finished as the top scorer in the 2020 Japanese J1 League with 28 goals, [26] winning the Golden Boot and the J-League 2020 MVP. He is the first African player to win the J-league MVP award. [27]
In January 2021, Olunga moved to Qatar Stars League champions Al-Duhail on a three-season contract, [28] for a reported transfer fee of €6 million. [29]
He made his debut for the club on 12 January, in a 3–1 away loss against Al Sadd. [30] On 25 January 2021, Olunga scored a hat-trick in Duhail's 6–0 win against Al Ahli in the Emir of Qatar Cup. [31] [32] Olunga finished as the top scorer of the 2021 AFC Champions League, [33] but Al-Duhail crashed out of the competition after a 1–1 draw with team Al Ahli Saudi in late April. [34] and Esteghlal qualified as group winners.
On 8 May 2023, Olunga and his club secured the 2022–23 Qatar Stars League title, scoring four goals in a 5–2 defeat of Al-Shamal.
Olunga made his debut for the Kenya national team in a friendly against Seychelles at the Stade Linité in Victoria on 28 March 2015. [35] He scored his first goal for the Harambee Stars in a friendly against South Sudan which resulted in a 2–0 win. On 27 July 2019, during the 2019 AFCON Olunga scored a double to complete a comeback against Tanzania.
Olunga studied geospatial engineering at the Technical University of Kenya and pursued a Bachelor of Engineering degree. For this reason, he is regularly known as "The Engineer" by Kenyan football fans. [36] He has stated that he looks up to Dutch striker Robin van Persie as a role model. [37]
Club | Season | League | National cup [lower-alpha 1] | League cup [lower-alpha 2] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Upper Hill School | 2012 | National KSSSA | 5 | — | — | — | — | 5 | ||||||
Liberty Sports Academy | 2012 | Nairobi County Champions | 32 | — | — | — | — | 32 | ||||||
Tusker | 2013 | KPL | 18 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
Thika United | 2014 | 26 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 9 | |||||
Gor Mahia | 2015 | 27 | 19 | 2 | — | 5 [lower-alpha 3] | 3 [lower-alpha 4] | 29 | ||||||
Djurgården | 2016 | Allsvenskan | 27 | 12 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 12 | |||
Guizhou | 2017 | CSL | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 2 | |||
Girona (loan) | 2017–18 | La Liga | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 3 | |||
Kashiwa Reysol | 2018 | J1 League | 10 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 3 | |||
2019 | J2 League | 30 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 33 | 29 | |||
2020 | J1 League | 32 | 28 | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 35 | 29 | ||||
Total | 72 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 61 | ||
Al-Duhail | 2020–21 | QSL | 9 | 6 | 3 [lower-alpha 5] | 5 | 2 [lower-alpha 6] | 0 | 6 [lower-alpha 7] | 9 | 2 [lower-alpha 8] | 0 | 22 | 20 |
2021–22 | 20 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 [lower-alpha 7] | 4 | — | 29 | 30 | |||
2022–23 | 22 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 [lower-alpha 7] | 2 | 4 [lower-alpha 9] | 10 | 38 | 36 | ||
2023–24 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 [lower-alpha 7] | 4 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 22 | ||
2024–25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
Total | 70 | 70 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 110 | 111 | ||
Career total | 252+ | 211 | 14+ | 12 | 13 | 7 | 17+ | 22 | 7+ | 13 | 300 | 266 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 June 2015 | Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda | ![]() | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
2 | 30 May 2015 | National Heroes Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
3 | 7 October 2015 | Stade Anjalay, Belle Vue Maurel, Mauritius | ![]() | 5–2 | 5–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
4 | 13 November 2015 | Nairobi City Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
5 | 22 November 2015 | Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | ![]() | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2015 CECAFA Cup |
6 | 25 November 2015 | Awassa Kenema Stadium, Awassa, Ethiopia | ![]() | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2015 CECAFA Cup |
7 | 4 October 2016 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
8 | 23 March 2017 | Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, Kenya | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
9 | 26 March 2017 | Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, Kenya | ![]() | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
10 | 2–1 | |||||
11 | 10 June 2017 | National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone | ![]() | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
12 | 5 October 2017 | Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq | ![]() | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
13 | 27 March 2018 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco | ![]() | 2–3 | 2–3 | Friendly |
14 | 14 October 2018 | Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, Kenya | ![]() | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
15 | 15 June 2019 | Centro Deportivo Santa Ana, Madrid, Spain | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
16 | 27 June 2019 | 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | ![]() | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
17 | 3–2 | |||||
18 | 14 November 2019 | Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt | ![]() | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
19 | 5 September 2021 | Nyamirambo Regional Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
20 | 11 November 2021 | St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Uganda | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
21 | 15 November 2021 | Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya | ![]() | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
22 | 28 March 2023 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
23 | 20 November 2023 | Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ![]() | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
24 | 2–0 | |||||
25 | 23 March 2024 | Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi | ![]() | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
26 | 2–0 | |||||
27 | 26 March 2024 | Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi | ![]() | 1–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
28 | 2–1 | |||||
29 | 3–1 |
Tusker
Gor Mahia
Kashiwa Reysol
Al-Duhail
Individual
Hernán Jorge Crespo is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of UAE Pro League club Al Ain.
Keiji Tamada is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. As of 2024, he is the manager of Shohei High School's football team, who plays in the Prince Takamado JFA U-18 Premier League.
Medhi Amine El Mouttaqi Benatia is a Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, who is currently the sporting director of Ligue 1 club Marseille. Benatia is well known for his tenures throughout France, Italy, and Germany, he represented Morocco at the international level, making 66 international appearances, and most notably captained them to their first World Cup in twenty years.
Kennedy Igboananike is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Swedish club IFK Haninge.
Hassan Khalid Hassan Al-Haydos is a Qatari professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd.
Nam Tae-hee is a South Korean professional footballer who plays for J1 League club Yokohama F. Marinos and the South Korea national team. He has also played in England, France, and Qatar. He is a versatile midfielder and can play as attacking midfielder or central midfielder. He is known for his honed technique, smooth movement, and dribbling.
Youssef El-Arabi is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Cypriot First Division club APOEL.
Al-Duhail Sports Club, formerly Lekhwiya SC, is a Qatari sports club, best known for its football team, which plays in the Qatar Stars League. The club is based in the Duhail district in the city of Doha and plays its home games at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. It is the first team in Qatari football to win the first division title on its debut season.
Luiz Guilherme da Conceição Silva, commonly known as Muriqui, is a former Brazilian professional footballer.
Baghdad Bounedjah is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Qatar Stars League club Al-Shamal and the Algeria national team.
Japanese football in 2011
Omar Jehad Al Somah is a Syrian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi and the Syria national team. Nicknamed in Syria as Al ʿAggied which is a historical civil character in Damascus known for participating in the resistance against occupiers and for being courageous, helpful, and generous.
Everaldo Stum, simply known as Everaldo, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Brazilian club Bahia.
Almoez Ali Zainalabedeen Mohamed Abdulla is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains the Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail. Born in Sudan, he plays for the Qatar national team.
Masoud Juma Choka is a Kenyan footballer who plays as a forward for the Kenya national team.
Mohanad Ali Kadhim Al-Shammari, commonly known in Iraq as Mimi, is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Iraqi club Al-Shorta and the Iraq national team. He is known for his positioning, shooting, heading, close ball control and dribbling.
Hidemasa Morita is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Japan national team.
Mao Hosoya is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for J1 League club Kashiwa Reysol and the Japan national team.
The 2020 J.League Cup Final was an association football match between Kashiwa Reysol and FC Tokyo on 4 January 2021 at Japan National Stadium. It was the 28th edition J.League Cup, organised by the J.League. Kashiwa Reysol were playing in their third J.League Cup final after winning the competition in both of their finals appearances in 1999 and 2013. FC Tokyo were also playing in their third J.League Cup final, following victories in 2004 and 2009.