Over a 13-year international career, Victor Wanyama earned 65 caps under nine different managers, captaining the side in over 40 matches and leading Kenya to the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
Victor Wanyama’s Harambee Stars career started like it ended – too soon. Wanyama, who announced his retirement from professional football on Saturday, was 15 years and 336 days old when he made his Harambee Stars debut on May 27, 2007, in a 1-0 loss against Nigeria’s Super Eagles during a friendly match played at Kasarani.
His last match for the national team was on November 15, 2020, in a 2-1 away loss to Comoros during a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier. He was 28 years and 143 days old.
On September 27, 2021, after not being called up for six Harambee Stars matches despite featuring consistently for Canadian club CF Montreal, the then 29-year-old Wanyama announced his retirement from international football after “a long consideration”.
“All good things come to an end eventually, and after long consideration, I have made the really difficult decision to retire from international football,” Wanyama said in a statement on that day.
Kenya international midfielder Victor Wanyama.
At 29, Wanyama still had a lot to offer in terms of experience, but following an alleged fall-out with Nick Mwendwa’s Football Kenya Federation, his national team career had ended unceremoniously after 13 years of service and 65 caps.
Wanyama made that announcement eight days after Jacob “Ghost” Mulee had been replaced as Harambee Stars coach by the late Turk Engin Firat.
It was Mulee who had handed Wanyama his debut against Nigeria, and he was also on the touchline for Harambee Stars when Wanyama made his last appearance for the national team against Comoros.
In total, Wanyama was capped four times for Harambee Stars under Mulee. It was under Stanley Okumbi that he played the most matches, 11. Other coaches he played under for Harambee Stars are Francis Kimanzi (eight), James Nandwa (one), Zedekiah Otieno (seven), Belgian-Algerian Adel Amrouche (eight), German Antoine Hey (seven), Scotsman Bobby Williamson (nine), and Frenchman Sebastien Migne (eight).
Coincidentally, Comoros and Nigeria are the teams that Wanyama played the most during his Harambee Stars career – five times.
In total, Wanyama wore the Harambee Stars against 34 different opponents, of which Mozambique (four times) and Uganda (thrice), are the other countries he played against more than two times.
Victor Wanyama during CF Montreal's pre-season ahead of 2021 MLS season.
Wanyama’s 65 matches for Harambee Stars took him to 27 different countries, including to Cape Verde in November 2015 aboard a chartered plane on a 20-hour flight which marked the height of incompetence of Sam Nyamweya’s FKF.
Those 27 countries also include Egypt, where Wanyama captained Harambee Stars at the African Cup of Nations in 2019, marking the only occasion he represented Kenya at a major tournament.
There were also two matches that Wanyama played for Harambee Stars in Europe in June 2019 – against Madagascar and DR Congo in France and Spain, respectively. Wanyama scored Kenya’s goal in the 1-0 win against Madagascar, becoming the first Kenyan player to score a goal for the national team on European soil.
Harambeee Stars midfielder Victor Wanyama during a past training session at Kasarani.
The goal was the last of Wanyama’s eight for Harambee Stars, securing the 19th of his 20 wins with the national team. The remaining 45 matches he played in yielded 19 draws and 26 defeats.
When announcing his retirement from Harambee Stars in 2021, Wanyama, who captained Harambee Stars in over 40 matches, said, “We have shared great moments together, and I am proud to have been your captain and leader.”
Wanyama’s moments with Harambee Stars saw him sharing the pitch with 132 players. The 132 include his brother, current FKF vice president McDonald Mariga, and Musa Otieno, Kenya’s most capped player with over 100 appearances for Harambee Stars. There is also Dennis Oliech, Kenya’s joint-second all-time top scorer with 34 goals, together with Michael Olunga, who also played with Wanyama.
Current AFC Leopards chairman, Boniface Ambani, played two matches together with Wanyama for Harambee Stars.
Montreal Impact's Victor Wanyama (right) dribbles the ball during their Concacaf Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Olimpia of Honduras at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida on December 15, 2020.
Including Olunga, Abud Omar, Anthony Akumu, Boniface Muchiri, Duke Abuya, Eric “Marcelo” Ouma, Faruk Shikhalo, Masoud Juma, and Ovella Ochieng are the other current Harambee Stars who played with Wanyama.
Some of Wanyama’s former teammates, like Harambee Stars assistant coach Anthony Kimani and Murang’a Seal coach Osborne Monday, have since moved to coaching – where Wanyama is also headed as he works on completing studies for his UEFA ‘A’ coaching license.
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