BARCELONA, Spain, Mar 10 – For Kenya’s football rising ace Amos Wanjala, dedication, discipline, and consistent training are crucial for developing the skills and physical fitness required to compete at a high level.
However, Wanjala believes becoming a professional soccer player also often requires natural talent, a bit of luck, exposure to scouts and access to quality training facilities like those he currently enjoys in Spain.
Wanjala is part of Spain’s revered Nastic Sports Academy, where he has since been promoted; and now trains with Tarragona FC, which is the professional side playing in the Spanish Football League third division.
The talented player has already settled in well and has recently played friendlies, and the most memorable one was against the Barcelona Under-19 team.
Wanjala: “The experience of brushing shoulders with Barcelona players was really good, a surreal experience. Though we lost 4-2 it was an eye opener, I came on in the second half and it was quite a good feeling. I’m learning new things day by day. I’m loving it here in Spain,” Wanjala, who captained the Kenya football Under-18 team, Junior Stars at the 2023 CECAFA Cup told Capital Sport.
He added, “I must admit I was quite excited but tensed playing against Barcelona since it was my first game in Nastic Tarragona Spain. But following the shrill of the last whistle, I wanted to do it again and again. Barcelona are a formidable team, walitutesa (they gave us a hard time).”
Nastic spotted Wanjala from National Schools football champions St Anthony Boys Kitale back then when he was still schooling there.
“I don’t know how they came across my details, it was just God, I must say. Nastic is good in terms of academics and sport. We pursue our academics as well as football. The experience here is really good, the food is good, everything is provided. It’s just for you to work hard; and the future is bright,” Wanjala, who is a Year 1 student at the Nastic Sports University studying Global Sports and Business Management revealed.
Last year Wanjala led St Anthony into the memorable national title against Dagoretti High before a sellout crowd at Bukhungu Stadium.
“We are the defending champions. I hope this year the trophy goes back home at St Anthony,” said Wanjala,
And how is the training trend compared to Kenya?
“Today we had a light training session, of course, it had to be enjoyable, like you saw it was all about team work hence the reason we were divided into groups of two, as we were preparing for our next game against Espanyol,” Wanjala, who just turned 19 years narrated.
–AFCON 2027–
Wanjala is overly excited about the success story of 2027 “Pamoja Bid” in which Kenya Uganda and Tanzania will co-host the Africa Cup of nations.
“It’s a good thing especially for us young players trying to make deeper inroads into the European paid ranks. We’ll not focus on 2027 for now, our main focus is tomorrow. Day by day, bit by bit, I bet when 2027 comes home, we’ll be ready for it and probably in that national team.”
Asked about his dream league, Wanjala narrated: “I wish to play in the English Premier League (EPL), but since I’m here now, there is this professional team for Nastic called Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, playing in Division Two. I think right now I’m really training hard to join that team, to get the experience there. Because I have been going to see most of their games, I wish to go play there.”
If Wanjala’s dreams of playing in the prestigious EPL comes true, then he will become the second Kenyan player to feature in the League after midfield maestro and former Harambee Stars skipper, Victor Wanyama.
Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, commonly known as Gimnàstic Tarragona or sometimes just Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia.
Its football team plays in Primera Federación – Group 1. The club was founded in 1886 and is one of the oldest football clubs in Spain.
–Hard Work Pays–
Going back to Captain the Kenya Under-18 team to clinching silver in the CECAFA tournament last year, he noted that it has changed his way of thinking towards the world’s most popular sport.
When Wanjala was training at the Nastic Sports Academy, his coach was a former player of Barcelona.
Wanjala’s coach happens to be a defender, who really taught him lots of new things, like defensive skills, so, when he went back to Kenya for the first time, he was already craving for a place in the national team, and the opportunity presented itself as fast.
“We did our best though, against Uganda in the final of the CECAFA showpiece, but we didn’t win the coveted trophy. Next time, I can assure you it will be ours for the taking,” Wanjala expounded.
Wanjala is well aware that everybody wishes to play for his or her own country: “I felt good donning national team colors, singing the national anthem, I just imagined what went through my mother’s mind back home seeing me on the television set. It’s cool man.”
With an apparently insatiable appetite for success, the star player holds the opinion that the only shortcut in football is for one to train very hard and their performances will stand out.
“When there is no performance, keep on trying until you get there and things will be okay,” he went on.
Junior Stars was among the recipients of the recent SOYA Awards in Wanjala’s absentia, picking the third placed gong.
“I feel so proud of my team Junior Stars for winning third place award, it means that our work is recognized, it wasn’t’ just me, the whole team deserved the accolade. I couldn’t do it by myself, so I say congratulations to the junior stars we really did well. Also shout out to my former school St Anthony for earning nomination.”
