Michael Olunga

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*
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 78 (75)
International career‡
2015– Kenya 61 (30)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:24, 20 December 2024 (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.

Club career

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Early career and Gor Mahia

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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

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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

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

Girona (loan)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 20 December 2024[38]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] 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 — — 2 0 — 20 2
Thika United 2014 26 9 — — — — 26 9
Gor Mahia 2015 27 19 2 5[c] 2 0 3[d] 29
Djurgården 2016 Allsvenskan 27 12 1 0 — — 4 1 32 13
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[e] 5 2[f] 0 6[g] 9 2[h] 0 22 20
2021–22 20 24 4 2 0 0 5[g] 4 — 29 30
2022–23 22 22 1 0 2 2 3[g] 2 9[i] 20[j] 43 46
2023–24 18 15 3 3 0 0 5[g] 4 1 0 27 22
2024–25 9 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 11 9
Total 78 75 11 10 8 12 19 19 14 21 126 127
Career total 260+ 216 14+ 12 13 12 23 22 18+ 25 324 283
  1. ^ Includes FKF President's Cup, Svenska Cupen, Copa del Rey, Emir of Qatar Cup
  2. ^ Includes J.League Cup, Qatar Cup
  3. ^ Goals in Kagame Interclub Cup
  4. ^ Goals in KPL Top 8 Cup
  5. ^ Appearances in Emir of Qatar Cup
  6. ^ Appearances in Qatar Cup
  7. ^ a b c d Appearances in AFC Champions League
  8. ^ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  9. ^ 5 Appearances in Qatari Stars Cup,4 Appearances in FIFA Refere Cup
  10. ^ 10 goals in Qatari Stars Cup,10 goals in FIFA Refere Cup

International

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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. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 7 June 2015 Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda  South Sudan 2–0 2–0 Friendly
2 30 May 2015 National Heroes Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia  Zambia 1–0 1–2 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3 7 October 2015 Stade Anjalay, Belle Vue Maurel, Mauritius  Mauritius 5–2 5–2 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 13 November 2015 Nairobi City Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya  Cape Verde 1–0 1–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 22 November 2015 Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  Uganda 2–0 2–0 2015 CECAFA Cup
6 25 November 2015 Awassa Kenema Stadium, Awassa, Ethiopia  Burundi 1–1 1–1 2015 CECAFA Cup
7 4 October 2016 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo  DR Congo 1–0 1–0 Friendly
8 23 March 2017 Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, Kenya  Uganda 1–0 1–1 Friendly
9 26 March 2017 Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, Kenya  DR Congo 1–0 2–1 Friendly
10 2–1
11 10 June 2017 National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone  Sierra Leone 1–2 1–2 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
12 5 October 2017 Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq  Iraq 1–2 1–2 Friendly
13 27 March 2018 Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco  Central African Republic 2–3 2–3 Friendly
14 14 October 2018 Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, Kenya  Ethiopia 1–0 3–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
15 15 June 2019 Centro Deportivo Santa Ana, Madrid, Spain  DR Congo 1–0 1–1 Friendly
16 27 June 2019 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt  Tanzania 1–1 3–2 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
17 3–2
18 14 November 2019 Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt  Egypt 1–1 1–1 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
19 5 September 2021 Nyamirambo Regional Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda  Rwanda 1–0 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
20 11 November 2021 St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Uganda  Uganda 1–0 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
21 15 November 2021 Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya  Rwanda 1–0 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
22 28 March 2023 Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran  Iran 1–0 1–2 Friendly
23 20 November 2023 Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Seychelles 1–0 5–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
24 2–0
25 23 March 2024 Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi  Malawi 1–0 4–0 2024 Four Nations Football Tournament
26 2–0
27 26 March 2024 Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi  Zimbabwe 1–1 3–1 2024 Four Nations Football Tournament
28 2–1
29 3–1
30 11 October 2024 Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon  Cameroon 1–2 1–4 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

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Tusker

Gor Mahia

Kashiwa Reysol

Al-Duhail

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Michael Olunga". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Michael Olunga". Duhail Sports Club. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  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.
  10. ^ "Klart: "Ingenjören" till Djurgården - fyraårskontrakt påskrivet" (in Swedish). Fotbollskanalen Europa. 17 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Kenyan Olunga's Arsenal dream on hold after Sweden move". 17 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  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.
  13. ^ Opiyo, Vincent. "Olunga on a brace as Djurgardens thumps Gotenborg". Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  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.
  16. ^ "Olunga on target again as Swedish side held". Goal.com Kenya edition. 14 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Klart: Skytteligan 2016" (in Swedish). fotbollssvenskan.se. 11 November 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  18. ^ "Klart: Skytteligan 2016". soka.co.ke. 10 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  19. ^ "OFFICIAL: Michael Olunga Has Signed For Chinese Side Guizhou Zhicheng". Radio Jambo. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  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.
  22. ^ "Michael Olunga joins Iniesta, Podolski, Torres at Kashiwa Reysol". DAILY SPORT. 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Kenya's Michael Olunga scores eight goals in Japanese match". 25 November 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  24. ^ "Olunga's Kashiwa Reysol conquer J2 to earn J1 promotion". Goal. 17 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  25. ^ "Kashiwa 5:1 Sendai". J League. 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  26. ^ "Stats and Data 2020". J League. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  27. ^ "Reysol's Michael Olunga named J. League MVP; Frontale packs Best XI with nine selections". J League. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  28. ^ "Olunga With Al Duhail For Three Seasons". Al Duhail Sports Club. 16 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  29. ^ Anene, Geoffrey (18 January 2021). "Kenya: Olunga Is a Good Addition to the Team, Says Al Duhail Coach". allAfrica.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  30. ^ Abong'o, Robert. "Michael Olunga makes debut for Al Duhail in 3-1 defeat to Xavi's Al Sadd". The Standard. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  31. ^ Abong'o, Robert. "Michael Olunga scores hat-trick as Al-Duhail thrash Al Ahli Doha 6-0 in Emir Cup". The Standard. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  32. ^ Church, Michael (22 April 2021). "Olunga's hat-trick moves Al Duhail into pole position". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  33. ^ الشرق, جريدة (24 November 2021). "مايكل أولونغا لاعب الدحيل يفوز بجائزة هداف دوري أبطال آسيا". جريدة الشرق (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  34. ^ Olobulu, Timothy (1 May 2021). "Olunga scores, misses penalty as Al Duhail crash out of Champions League". Capital Sports. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  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.
  36. ^ "TU-K Student Causing Ripples in 2015 CECAFA Challenge". Technical University of Kenya. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  37. ^ "Olunga, the Footballing Engineer". Technical University of Kenya. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  38. ^ "M. Olunga". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  39. ^ "Olunga, Michael". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  40. ^ "Olunga caps fine year with another big Kenya award". Panafricanfootball. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  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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