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The role of a captain is very crucial to a team's fortunes. A captain provides leadership and is the representative of the coach on the football pitch. Successful teams are often associated with captains with strong characters who form the foundation of their success.
A prime example is of Roy Keane, who was the captain of Manchester United during their glory days and they dominated the English Premier League for years under the Irishman's leadership.
Harambee Stars had captains who played crucial roles in their footballing success.
Let's take a look at five of the greatest captains to have led the Harambee Stars.
#5 Musa Otieno
Musa Otieno is one of the most decorated Kenyan footballers ever. He made over 100 appearances for the national team from 1993 to 2009.
His discipline, dedication and hard work helped him captain the national side. Otieno led them in the 2004 CAF African Cup of Nations. Otieno was not only impressive for the national team but also enjoyed numerous success in club football.
He represented AFC Leopards and Tusker FC in the Kenyan Premier League before securing a move to Santos in the South African League, and he lifted four trophies during his spell there. The tough-tackling defender made over 300 appearances, scoring an impressive 34 goals.
Otieno had a short stint in the United States with Cleveland City Stars in 2008 where he also helped them in winning the USL Second Division title. His leadership was later rewarded as he was named Harambee stars assistant coach in 2012, a post that he has vacated now as he is now coaching the Day Star University, football team.
#4 Dennis Oliech
Dennis Oliech is one of the greatest strikers in Kenyan history. During a period when Kenyan football plummeted, it was Oliech's leadership and goal-scoring touch that revived it. He led by an example of scoring goals for Harambee Stars and inspiring youngsters to perform at a higher level for the team.
The striker enjoyed success in Europe representing Nantes, Auxerre, Ajaccio in the French Ligue 1. He came out of retirement early this year to represent his boyhood club Gor Mahia a move he termed as a dream come true to represent the biggest club in the country. He relieved that it was her mum's dream to feature for Kogalo.
In his 72 appearances for the national team, he scored 34 goals making him nation record scorer before he hung his boots in 2016. At the time of his retirement, Harambee Stars made strides in their football development and were in a position to compete against the big teams in Africa.
#3 Victor Wanyama
The current Kenyan skipper is one of the best midfielders that the country has ever produced. He currently plays for English side Tottenham Hotspur coached by Portuguese maestro Jose Mourinho.
He became the first Kenyan to play in the English Premier League when he joined Southampton in 2016 from Scottish giants Celtic for a record fee of £12.5 million making him the most expensive ever player sold by a Scottish club.
Victor Wanyama became the captain of the national team at a tender of 22-years old and has been instrumental in the country's resurgence in the last couple of years. Under his leadership, the Harambee Stars defeated Ghana to qualify for the first CAF African Cup of Nations for the first time in 14-years.
His technical ability and composure have added a much needed calm to Harambee Stars midfield. His physical presence provides cover to the defence hence improving the team's stability.
#2 John Nyawanga
John Nyawanga was the first Kenyan to captain the national soccer team at the CAF African Cup of Nations in 1972. The high-flying winger was tasked with leading a young Harambee Stars side in their first appearance in the competition.
Things did not go well for the Harambee Stars as they failed to progress past the group stage losing 2-1 to host Cameroon before drawing in their next two matches against Mali and Togo respectively.
Despite failing to progress past the group stage, it was a great achievement for the Harambee Stars as they had a young inexperienced side that was yet to feature in a tournament in the calibre of the African Cup of Nations.
The former Kenya Breweries (now Tusker FC) winger was a real nightmare to defenders and will always be remembered for the prominent role that he played in guiding a young Kenyan side in their first major tournament.
#1 Austin Oduor
Austin Oduor popularly known as 'Makamu' is regarded as the best captain that Harambee Stars has ever had. The no-nonsense defender is fondly remembered for the prominent role he played in the 4th All -African games in 1987 where Harambee Stars reached the finals which they narrowly lost to Egypt.
Under his leadership, Harambee Stars qualified for a record three consecutive CAF African Cup of Nations in 1988, 1990 and 1992. It was also a period that the Kenyan National team was close to securing their first World Cup qualification berth losing by just a whisker against Egypt in their final group match.
Oduor enjoyed success at Gor Mahia where he captained the team that won the club African Cup title in 1987 and numerous League titles as well. He was disciplined and was a very strong defender that brought success to both Gor Mahia and the national team.
