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Kenyan football has been on the rise in the past decade with the Kenyan government investing in football. There have been changes in the structure of the Kenyan Premier League with the number of teams increasing from 16 to 18.
The Kenyan Premier League has been attracting foreign coaches which have helped in nurturing youngsters and improving the football standards. Harambee Stars' improvement is evident as they qualified for the CAF African Cup of Nations 2019 for the first time since 2004.
Improving standards of football in Kenya has seen the country export a lot of exciting youngsters to European leagues in the past couple of years, giving them exposure and experience to help change the landscape of the country's football.
Here is a look at the top 3 Kenyan players of the past decade.
3. Michael Olunga
A product of the renowned Liberty Sports Academy, Michael Olunga 'Engineer' made a name for himself while at Gor Mahia by winning the Golden Boot after scoring 19 goals in the Kenyan Premier League.
His impressive performances for Kogalo secured him a move abroad to join Swedish side Djurgårdens IF where he carried on his goal-scoring form, netting 12 goals in his debut season.
The former Gor Mahia striker was on high demand after just one season in the Swedish League and joined Chinese side Guizhou Zhicheng. However, Olunga did not last in China as he was sent out on loan to Spanish side Sporting Girona.
While in La Liga, he had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against the world's best players in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Michael Olunga went into the history books when he netted a hat-trick against Las Palmas becoming the first Kenyan and Girona player to score a treble in La Liga history.
Olunga was instrumental for Harambee stars during their the African Cup of Nations qualifiers and every Kenyan fan would be hoping that he will lead them their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance. He is currently playing for Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol where he scored eight goals in one match in 13-1 demolition of Kyoto Sanga.
2. Victor Wanyama
Victor Wanyama is the most expensive Kenyan footballer in history after his record-breaking transfer to Southampton from Scottish giants Celtic in 2013 for a fee reported to be around £12.5m, also becoming the first Kenyan to ever play in the English Premier League in the process.
The combative defensive midfielder's impressive performance in the centre of the park for the Saints secured him a dream move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2016, giving him another opportunity to feature in the UEFA Champions League.
Wanyama was impressive for the Lily Whites in the UEFA Champions League where he collected a runners-up medal after falling short in the finals against Liverpool. The Harambee Stars skipper had a deal to join Belgian side Club Brugge fall through on the last day of the summer transfer window.
The failed transfer away from Tottenham Hotspur has given Wanyama a great opportunity to work with Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho who also coached his brother MacDonald Mariga at Inter Milan.
#1 MacDonald Mariga
After a short stint in the Kenyan Premier League, MacDonald Mariga spent 13 fruitful years playing football in Europe. Just like Michael Olunga, Mariga's first European club was in Sweden where he played for two years before joining Italian side Parma in 2007.
His impressive performances for the Crusaders earned him a historical move to Serie A giants Inter Milan where he was part of the historic treble under the guidance of one of football's greatest coaches, Jose Mourinho.
He also had spells in La Liga playing for Real Sociedad and Real Oviedo adding more variety to his impressive footballing career. MacDonald Mariga retired from international football last year but will continue to hold history as the only Kenyan to have won the UEFA Champions League. His contribution over the last couple of years for the national team has been tremendous, as well.
