Michael Olunga

Last updated

Michael Olunga
Personal information
Full name Michael Olunga Ogada [1]
Date of birth (1994-03-26) 26 March 1994 (age 30)
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*
YearsTeamApps(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 80 (75)
International career‡
2015– Kenya 61 (30)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:24, 24 January 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:00, 11 October 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.

Contents

Club career

Early career and Gor Mahia

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]

Djurgården

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]

Guizhou Zhicheng

In 2017, Olunga joined Chinese club Guizhou Zhicheng. [19]

Girona (loan)

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]

Kashiwa Reysol

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]

Al-Duhail

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.

International career

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.

Personal life

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]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 24 January 2025 [38]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] ContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Upper Hill School2012National KSSSA5————5
Liberty Sports Academy2012Nairobi County Champions32————32
Tusker 2013 Kenyan Premier League 182——20—202
Thika United 2014 Kenyan Premier League269————269
Gor Mahia 2015 Kenyan Premier League271925 [c] 203 [d] 29
Djurgården 2016 Allsvenskan 271210——413213
Guizhou 2017 Chinese Super League 9200———92
Girona (loan) 2017–18 La Liga 14320———163
Kashiwa Reysol 2018 J1 League 103—00——103
2019 J2 League 30270032——3329
2020 J1 League3228—31——3529
Total7258006300007861
Al-Duhail 2020–21 Qatar Stars League 963 [e] 52 [f] 06 [g] 92 [h] 02220
2021–22 Qatar Stars League202442005 [g] 4—2930
2022–23 Qatar Stars League222210223 [g] 25 [i] 103936
2023–24 Qatar Stars League181533005 [g] 4102722
2024–25 Qatar Stars League1180000–2 [i] 1139
Total8075111081219191011124117
Career total262+21614+121312232214+15322273

International

Scores and results list Kenya's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Olunga goal. [39]
List of international goals scored by Michael Olunga
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
17 June 2015 Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, RwandaFlag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 2–02–0 Friendly
230 May 2015 National Heroes Stadium, Lusaka, ZambiaFlag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 1–01–2 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
37 October 2015 Stade Anjalay, Belle Vue Maurel, MauritiusFlag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius 5–25–2 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
413 November 2015 Nairobi City Stadium, Nairobi, KenyaFlag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 1–01–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
522 November 2015 Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaFlag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 2–02–0 2015 CECAFA Cup
625 November 2015 Awassa Kenema Stadium, Awassa, EthiopiaFlag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 1–11–12015 CECAFA Cup
74 October 2016 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR CongoFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 1–01–0Friendly
823 March 2017Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, KenyaFlag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 1–01–1Friendly
926 March 2017Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, KenyaFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 1–02–1Friendly
102–1
1110 June 2017 National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra LeoneFlag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 1–21–2 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
125 October 2017 Basra Sports City, Basra, IraqFlag of Iraq.svg  Iraq 1–21–2Friendly
1327 March 2018 Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, MoroccoFlag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic 2–32–3Friendly
1414 October 2018 Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, KenyaFlag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 1–03–02019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
1515 June 2019Centro Deportivo Santa Ana, Madrid, SpainFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 1–01–1Friendly
1627 June 2019 30 June Stadium, Cairo, EgyptFlag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 1–13–2 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
173–2
1814 November 2019 Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, EgyptFlag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 1–11–1 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
195 September 2021 Nyamirambo Regional Stadium, Kigali, RwandaFlag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 1–01–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2011 November 2021 St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, UgandaFlag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 1–01–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2115 November 2021 Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, KenyaFlag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 1–02–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2228 March 2023 Azadi Stadium, Tehran, IranFlag of Iran.svg  Iran 1–01–2Friendly
2320 November 2023 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory CoastFlag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles 1–05–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
242–0
2523 March 2024 Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, MalawiFlag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 1–04–0 2024 Four Nations Football Tournament
262–0
2726 March 2024Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, MalawiFlag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 1–13–1 2024 Four Nations Football Tournament
282–1
293–1
3011 October 2024 Japoma Stadium, Douala, CameroonFlag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 1–21–4 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

Tusker

Gor Mahia

Kashiwa Reysol

Al-Duhail

Individual

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References

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  3. ↑ Patrick Korir (2 November 2012). "Schools' MVP heading to France". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Wilson Mathu (29 November 2012). "Promoted Liberty embrace the challenge". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Opiyo, Vincent. "Olunga rakes in millions from Djurgardens deal". Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  6. ↑ Patrick Korir (19 December 2012). "Liberty loans Schools' MVP to Tusker". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Mercy Njueh (31 January 2014). "Thika United sign Michael Olunga". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Mercy Njueh (7 January 2015). "Wafula, Olunga set for Gor move". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Seth Willis (1 November 2015). "Gor Mahia 2-0 Muhoroni Youth: Unbeaten K'Ogalo". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
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  11. ↑ "Kenyan Olunga's Arsenal dream on hold after Sweden move". BBC Sport. 17 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Finally…Olunga ends goal drought in Sweden". Goal Kenya. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
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  14. ↑ Gacharira, Samuel. "Dempsey full of praise for Olunga". Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "Olunga on the mark again as Elfsborg hold Djurgardens". Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
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  20. ↑ "Olunga completa l'atac del Girona" [Olunga completes the attack of Girona] (in Catalan). Girona FC. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  21. ↑ "Michael Olunga open La Liga goal account with a hat-trick | Goal.com". Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
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  35. ↑ Vincent Opiyo (1 April 2015). "Seychelles vs Kenya; Nine earn senior team debuts". Futaa.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
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  39. ↑ "Olunga, Michael". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
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  41. ↑ "Table of top scorers Qatari Stars Cup 2023". www.besoccer.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  42. ↑ Sports, Pulse (29 May 2023). "Michael Olunga nominated for AFC Champions League team of the season". Pulse Sports Kenya. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
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