Kenya Insights

Tag: Victor Wanyama

  • Victor Wanyama Makes A Return To Harambee Stars, Olunga Dropped

    Victor Wanyama Makes A Return To Harambee Stars, Olunga Dropped

    NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27, 2025 – Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has come out of retirement to rejoin the national team.

    The former Tottenham midfielder is part of a 25-man provisional squad named on Tuesday evening by head coach Benni McCarthy for next month’s international friendly against Chad.

    Over the weekend, Wanyama had revealed to BBC Sport Africa that he was mulling over a return to the national team following prodding by McCarthy.

    Wanyama, however, was then non-committal, only promising to make an announcement soon.

    The midfield lynchpin last donned the national jersey in November 2020 when Kenya lost to Comoros by a solitary goal in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

    He, shortly after, hang his boots in September 2021 albeit there were discussions around bringing him back to the national team in December 2022.

    The discussions were spearheaded by then Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba who argued that Wanyama still had a lot to contribute to Harambee Stars.

    Double header friendly

    Stars will face the central Africans on June 7 and 10 in Morocco in what will be McCarthy’s third and fourth matches in charge of the national team.

    The South African has thus far drawn once and lost once — a 3-3 draw and 2-1 loss to Gabon in their 2026 World Cup qualifier in March.

    Kenya are preparing to co-host the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) in August, alongside Tanzania and Uganda.

    A glaring absence from Tuesday’s squad is skipper Michael Olunga who plies his trade for Al Duhail in Qatar.

  • Clubless Victor Wanyama Rejects Return To England, Reveals Why He’s Not Retiring Soon

    Clubless Victor Wanyama Rejects Return To England, Reveals Why He’s Not Retiring Soon

    Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has stated he is yet to retire and is looking for offers on the table before deciding what his next career step will be.

    Wanyama has not joined any club since he left Major League Soccer (MLS) CF Montreal of Canada in December 2024. Although he has been linked with the Championship side, Queens Park Rangers (QPR), he has expressly said he does not wish to return to England to play.

    “I will still be playing football and actively looking at everything on offer. Staying in England is an option, but I am more inclined to experience a new environment, as I’ve played in England for a while,” Wanyama told a local publication.

    Wanyama spent his time in the Premier League with Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, and he has explained why his time in North London remains very memorable.

    “Yeah, I would say that was a great time in North London. I joined a big team that always pushed for Champions League qualification, and it was a huge challenge. I played some of my best football there.

    “We had such a good team, and to this day, it’s unbelievable that we didn’t win the Premier League or any trophies with that group. The talent and chemistry were unmatched,” he stated.

    Partnership

    In a recent interview, he recalled his time at Spurs and specifically talked about his partnership with Mousa Dembélé.

    “Me and Mousa, we enjoyed what we were doing; we complemented each other very well. You miss those moments. We had a good group, and we always wanted to improve each game.

    “Every weekend when we went out, we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could stay at the top; that’s how it should be, competing every weekend and making sure the club is at the top. It was fun. The most important thing that we had was fun, you know, going out there and having fun, and then the rest would just follow.

    “Unfortunately, there was one thing that we would love to do for the club, to win a trophy, but we didn’t do it with our group. You know what? I believe this group will do something special one day,” he said.