Omala , who has been dubbed 'the Kenyan Haaland' explains why he has recorded such fine goalscoring form this season.
If you are a keen follower of English football, the first player that springs to mind from this season is Erling Haaland but in Kenya, we have our very own goal-machine in Benson Omala.
Haaland has been taking the Premier League by storm in his first season at Manchester City. After 34 games, he is on 35 goals, which is an all-time new record in the league many say is the “benchmark” for difficulty.
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Rupia has scored 21 league goals this season, just four behind Benson Omala who leads the charts on 25 goals.
I could talk all day about how the player I do not consider human is setting a new bar, but this piece is not about him but rather, a player who many with a keen interest in Kenyan football are already dubbing “The Kenyan Haaland”.
Omala is Gor Mahia’s most exciting Kenyan goal-scoring prospect since Michael Olunga in the 2015 Kenya Premier League season. In case you may not know the context of why people are comparing him to the Norwegian sensation, let me tell you two reasons why.
First, both are agemates at 22. Secondly and most importantly, both are goal scoring machines. While Haaland has already broken the long-standing record set by Andy Cole of scoring 34 goals in a single Premier League season, Omala looks on course to break Kenyan football’s long-standing 26-goal season set by Maurice Ochieng’ Sonyi of Gor Mahia in 1976.
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He is currently on 25 goals for the season after 29 league games, and ahead of their match against AFC Leopards in the Mashemeji Derby, Pulse Sports Kenya had time to speak to him, and he explained the reason behind his streak.
He credits his teammates mostly, as the reason behind why he looks set to chase a record and insists it is not fully a one-man show.
“My fellow teammates have helped a great deal," he said. “We have been together for a while and have formed a cohesion, so they know how I make runs and how I want those balls to come to me,” he added.
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The two team are separated by just four points at the summit of the log.
“In pre-season, we worked a lot on finishing and perfecting when to attack and when to defend.”
Omala could make history on Sunday against AFC Leopards, as he only needs one goal to equal Ochieng’s record, and could even set a new record if he nets a brace against Ingwe, a feat that will take a lot of effort.