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Wanyama played for Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur for seven years before moving to Canada-based MLS side, Montreal Impact in 2020/FILE

Kenya

The most valuable Kenyan football players in 2021

Kenya is a country that absolutely loves football as the beautiful game is the most popular sport in the East African nation. Yet, they have enjoyed more success in other sports and are perhaps better known worldwide for their excellence in athletics.

The national team, the Harambee Stars, are a modest outfit in African football but their best players have been able to carve lucrative careers out of their talents. The rest of the country is paying more attention to developing young talented footballers and we’ll take a close look at that as well.

With the help of in-play football stats and trends to understand games better, we have sought to find out the most valuable Kenyan footballers. Those who have honed their skill to become professionals and are now millionaires for their exploits.

Thus, you will know more about the most valuable footballers from Kenya in 2021.

Victor Wanyama – Montreal Impact

Apart from being the country’s best player for the third time running, Victor Wanyama is currently the most successful and richest footballer in Kenya.

Wanyama, who is also the captain of the Kenyan National Team, has played for various clubs in the best and highest playing leagues in the world – specifically the English Premier League where he was the first man from his country to appear in.

Wanyama played for Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur for seven years before moving to Canada-based MLS side, Montreal Impact in 2020. Oh! He played in the Scottish Premier League for Celtic, too.

In fact, his move to the South Coast of England for £12.5 million in 2013 made him the most expensive player sold by a Scottish club. The 30-year old midfielder is currently valued at €6.50m and is ranked number one among the players of CF Montreal.

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With the foregoing, Wanyama is undoubtedly the richest footballer in Kenya with a staggering salary of $3.091,667 annually.

Michael Olunga – Al Duhail

Olunga, a prolific Kenyan forward, joined the Qatari top-flight side in the early stages of 2021. The move was albeit unexpected but it was a great move given that his salary was doubled after the switch.

The erstwhile Kashiwa Reysol striker is currently Kenyan’s most valuable player, overtaking his national team captain and former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Victor Wanyama. The towering frontman has scored 19 times in 44 caps for the Harambee Stars and ‘The Engineer’ is a man who has made a fortune for himself through his career.

Olunga’s Sh16 million per month stands at €3.6m, making him the second richest footballer in the Kenyan nation.

Joseph Okumu –  Gent

Next on this list is Belgium-based 24-year-old central defender, Joseph Okumu. In the last three years, Okumu has played for three clubs across America and Europe.

After arriving at Real Monarchs in 2018, Okumu switched to the Swedish Allsvenskan a year later with IF Elfsborg and finally joined Gent in June 2021 for approximately 35 million Swedish krona which is around Ksh439 million. That makes him one of the most expensive Kenyan players.

The high point that lies in Okumu’s transition within these clubs is that every single one of his transfers came with an increased wage and valuation for the nine-capped Kenya international.

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His market value continues to grow and is currently at a premium €2.00m.

Eric Otieno – AIK Fotboll

Eric Ouma Otieno is a 24-year-old left full-back plying his trade in the Swedish league with AIK Fotboll. He is currently valued at €1.00m after his recent switch from another Swede side, Vasalund in 2020.

Otieno has impressed in the same league which has proved a stepping stone for Kenyan footballers and he is certainly putting his name among the best on that list.

The defender has been linked with several clubs in Europe’s top five leagues and a transfer move in the near future is a real possibility as his current contract expires in 2024.

The 26-caps international boasts the experience, and another switch would only increase his ever-increasing value.

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