Ingwe have been blessed with top players who wore the blue and white jersey but few had skills and talents that left fans in awe while leading the club to success
There are a number of stars who can be considered the best AFC Leopards players of all time given their popularity that stems from their successful days in the 1980s and 90s.
Ingwe have 12 Kenyan Premier League titles only bettered by Gor Mahia (19) and Tusker FC (13). Their success and popularity is down to a number of great players who donned the blue and while jersey.
Who are the best AFC players of all time?
Some of them were household names who were revered not just in Kenya but in Africa due to their talent and skills. Pulse Sports highlights the best AFC Leopards players of all time.
Wilberforce 'Maradona’ Mulamba
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Arguably the best AFC player of all time, Wilberforce Mulamba was a long-serving AFC Leopards midfielder who excelled in playing just behind the strikers.
He was an excellent dribbler, accurate passer and a strong pacy attacking midfielder who played behind strikers such as the legendary JJ Masiga, Tom Omboko and Patrick Shim.
An unstoppable force down the left flank, Mulamba was famous for his sudden runs into the opposition box. His fast pace and brilliant dribbling skills earned him the nickname of Kenya’s ‘Maradona’.
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By the time he retired in 1991, Mulamba had scored 137 goals for Ingwe to become the club's all-time leading goal-scorer. That was after winning three titles in 1986, 1888 and 1989.
Joe Masiga
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JJ Masiga, as he was commonly known, is a bonafide Leopards legend who made them tick in their hugely successful spell in the 1980s. The striker is another among the best AFC Leopards players of all time as he scored 118 times during his career at Leopards, making him the club's second-best scorer of all-time behind Mulamba.
He helped Leopards to a semi-final place in the 1981 CECAFA Club Cup in Malawi, jumped into a plane and returned home to do his final year exams at the University of Nairobi - passing them, as it turned out later, to qualify as a dentist.
He then jumped into the next plane to Malawi and arrived just in time for the final against arch-rivals Gor Mahia. He scored both Leopards’ goals but they lost 3-2 and despite the cruel luck, his character and dedication stood out.
Mahmoud Abbas
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Mahmoud Abbas is considered the greatest ever goalkeeper to have donned the blue and white jersey, making him one of the best AFC Leopards players of all time.
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The Mombasa-born goalkeeper joined then Abaluhya Football Club, before it was renamed to AFC Leopards, in 1978 and went on to help them win the Cecafa Club Cup in three seasons from 1982 to 1984.
In the 1981 tournament, he helped Leopards reach the final without conceding a goal but unfortunately, lost to bitter rivals Gor Mahia after a 3-2 loss.
Abbas was also part of the team that won three straight Kenyan Premier League titles from 1980 to 1982 as Ingwe dominated the competition. What made Abbas stand out was his singular talent for stopping penalties.
Joe Kadenge
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Kadenge was, without doubt, the most-spoken about Kenyan football player of the past and present generation and widely considered to be country’s all-time greatest.
He joined Abaluhya United, now AFC Leopards, from Maragoli United in the early 1960s, winning the Kenyan Premier League in 1966.
An entertainer, Kadenge can be considered among the best AFC Leopards players of all time as he was revered for his deft touches and scored the fastest ever goal in the Kenyan Premier League when playing as a winger.
He won three more league titles in 1967, 1970 and 1973 before leaving Abaluhya to rejoin Maragoli United in 1975. Kadenge died from a stroke in July 2019 after a long illness.
Jonathan Niva
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Born in Burundi, Jonathan Niva made his name in Kenya and would later represent his adopted country, making 88 appearances for Harambee Stars.
Niva had two stints at Leopards, the first from 1966-1970, winning three league titles, before switching to bitter rivals Gor Mahia in 1972, but returned to Ingwe for a second stint between 1973 and 1977, yielding another crown.
Niva was Kenya’s first ever overlapping full-back, an outstanding, even overbearing, personality on the field. He is another among the best AFC Leopards players of all time as he dominated on and off the pitch and brought great character to the side.
Josephat 'Controller’ Murila
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The Kakamega-born Josephat Murila is one of the best AFC Leopards players of all time, having joined in 1978 and was as fine a footballer as one could ever wish for. He had high speed for a defender, great skill on the ground and in the air, a cool temperament and an amiable personality. They called him ‘The Controller’ because he rarely put a foot wrong.
Between 1979 and 1987, Leopards won the league four times and Murila was part of the team, in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1986. Murila also won the CECAFA club cup four times, in 1979, 1982, 1983 and 1984.
Surprisingly, Murila started out as a striker, moved to defence before a brief spell in midfield with Leopards and then returned to his preferred position at centre-back.
Mickey ‘T9’ Weche
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Nicknamed T9, Mikey Weche was a defender who had ability, agility, strength and spirit. Weche began his love affair with Leopards in 1984 when he was surprisingly recruited as a striker.
He was later joined by Aggrey Lukoye, Patrick Shilasi ‘Omar Bongo,’ John ‘Shoto’ Lukoye, Michael Amwayi, Wycliffe Anyangu and Hassan Juma.
So strong was the Ingwe squad that time that the coach would toss a coin to make a choice when more than one player played in the same position.
When Weche joined Leopards, he was a substitute of JJ Masiga and Tony Lidonde. He started playing at right fullback when Pius Masinza was injured and when Josephat Murila was out, he would slot in at centre-back. He would also deputise for Abdul Baraza in midfield. Such was his versatility.
Weche won three league titles with Leopards in 1986, 1988 and 1989 as well as the 1984 CECAFA Club Championship and the President’s Cup (now FKF Cup) in 1984 and 1985. Indeed, one of the best AFC Leopards players of all time.
Aggrey Lukoye
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One of the most successful and skillful Leopards players, Lukoye played for the club for 13 years, winning four league titles. The winger had only one foot on the pitch – the left one, but what a foot it was! That, added to his mazing bursts of speed, made him a nightmare for defenders to the delight of Ingwe fans.
His heroics made him one of the best AFC Leopards players of all time.
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