McDonald Mariga
Encyclopedia
McDonald Mariga Wanyama (born 4 April 1987) is a Kenya
n footballer player who plays for Real Sociedad
on loan from Inter Milan
. Mariga made history as the first Kenyan footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League
on 16 March 2010.
before moving first to Tusker FC
and then to Pipeline FC while still at school. Mariga was a member of the Kamukunji High School 'Golden Boys', which also included Kenyan striker Dennis Oliech
(Auxerre, France), who won two consecutive National Championships in 2002 & 2003.
The central midfielder
went to Sweden
in 2005 to play for third Division side Enköpings SK
. After only one season at ESK, he signed for Helsingborgs IF
before the 2006 season. His success at Helsingborgs was immediate. Following initial interest from Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp
, Mariga looked set to sign for the Premier League team, but work permit issues held up the deal which was supposed to have cost around €2.7million.
club Parma
initially on loan in August 2007. The Italian club had an option to buy him in the summer for a fee of 20 million Swedish kronor (around €2million). Mariga agreed to a four year deal to keep him at Serie A side Parma for four years until the end of June 2012, after the club paid a transfer fee for Swedish Kronor 18 million (approx. 1.94 million euros). The deal, brokered by former Swede great Martin Dahlin
, now an agent, falls short of the 20 Million Kronnor asking price initially set by Helsingborgs. 25% of the transfer fee will go to Enkopings SK, the club that first got Mariga to Sweden in 2005.
Mariga played 35 times for Parma
in the Serie B
during the 2008–2009 season scoring three times to help them back to Serie A
for the 2009–2010 season.
In January 2010 he was set to sign for English Premier League club Manchester City
, but he failed to obtain a work permit. It was later stated by Kenya
's Prime Minister
Raila Odinga
that 22-year-old Mariga had eventually obtained a UK work permit but only after the transfer window for the Premier League had closed. Had Mariga successfully signed for Manchester City, he would have been the first player from the Premier League-mad East African country to sign for a club in the top English league.
in a co-ownership
deal however he initially attempted a big-money move to Manchester City until a work permit was turned down by the Home Office. The transfer fee was a cash plus player deal which Parma got half the registration rights of Jonathan Biabiany
and the loan of Luis Antonio Jiménez. Following the move, Inter president Massimo Moratti
hailed Mariga's move as the "best thing that could have happened" to the club in the January transfer window. He made his debut for Internazionale in the 1st leg of the 2009 Coppa Italia Semi Final against Fiorentina. Inter narrowly won the match 1–0. In March 2010 Mariga became the first Kenyan to play in the UEFA Champions League
, when he entered the field as a late substitute against Chelsea
.
Mariga thought he scored his first goal for Inter on April 24, 2010 against Atalanta when he netted Samuel Eto's back pass into the roof of the net. However his shot deflected off Sulley Muntari
and the goal was credited instead to the Ghanaian. He also scored a thrashing header against Genoa for the Nerazzuri in a game that ended 3-2.
In June 2010, Inter bought him outright and bought back Biabiany for a reported fees near to €9.5M.
on 25 March 2007.
and the Kenyan national football team. Mariga's younger brother Victor Wanyama
is also a professional football player currently playing for Scottish Premier League
side Celtic F.C.
, while another brother Thomas Wanyama plays for the Kenyan Premier League champions Sofapaka
, Another brother Sylvester Wanyama Plays for the Kenya premier league club Sony Sugar. Their younger sister Mercy Wanyama is the captain of Langata High School basketball team, previously she played football and netball. Mariga is the most celebrated Kenyan soccer player of all time
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n footballer player who plays for Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
on loan from Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. Mariga made history as the first Kenyan footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
on 16 March 2010.
Early career
Mariga started his playing career at Ulinzi StarsUlinzi Stars
Ulinzi Stars are a Kenyan football club, based in the city of Nakuru.- History :The Ulinzi Stars are a football club for Kenya's military Combined Services [Army, Navy and Air Force]. They compete in the top-level Kenyan league, the Kenyan Premier League. The team have been champions of Kenya four...
before moving first to Tusker FC
Tusker F.C.
Tusker FC is a football club based in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the third most successful club in Kenya with nine Kenyan league championships and three Kenyan cup wins. In addition, it has won four East African CECAFA Clubs Cup titles....
and then to Pipeline FC while still at school. Mariga was a member of the Kamukunji High School 'Golden Boys', which also included Kenyan striker Dennis Oliech
Dennis Oliech
Dennis Oliech is a Kenyan professional football forward currently playing for Auxerre.- Club career :Dennis Oliech started playing football for Dagoretti Santos in his earlier years, then Mathare United....
(Auxerre, France), who won two consecutive National Championships in 2002 & 2003.
The central midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
went to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 2005 to play for third Division side Enköpings SK
Enköpings SK
Enköpings SK is a Swedish football club located in Enköping.-Background:Since their foundation on 2 March 1914 Enköpings SK has participated mainly in the middle and upper divisions of the Swedish football league system. Their best period has been over the last decade with 6 seasons in the...
. After only one season at ESK, he signed for Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF , commonly referred to as Helsingborg and locally HIF, is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...
before the 2006 season. His success at Helsingborgs was immediate. Following initial interest from Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
, Mariga looked set to sign for the Premier League team, but work permit issues held up the deal which was supposed to have cost around €2.7million.
Parma
He moved to the Serie ASerie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
initially on loan in August 2007. The Italian club had an option to buy him in the summer for a fee of 20 million Swedish kronor (around €2million). Mariga agreed to a four year deal to keep him at Serie A side Parma for four years until the end of June 2012, after the club paid a transfer fee for Swedish Kronor 18 million (approx. 1.94 million euros). The deal, brokered by former Swede great Martin Dahlin
Martin Dahlin
Martin Nathaniel Dahlin is a former Swedish football player.-Early life:He is the son of an Afro-Venezuelan father, who was a musician, and a Swedish mother who both decided to name him after Martin Luther King. He was born in Uddevalla, but lived as a child in Lund.-Career:In 1988, he became the...
, now an agent, falls short of the 20 Million Kronnor asking price initially set by Helsingborgs. 25% of the transfer fee will go to Enkopings SK, the club that first got Mariga to Sweden in 2005.
Mariga played 35 times for Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
in the Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
during the 2008–2009 season scoring three times to help them back to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
for the 2009–2010 season.
In January 2010 he was set to sign for English Premier League club Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, but he failed to obtain a work permit. It was later stated by Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
's Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Kenya
The Prime Minister of Kenya is a post in the Kenyan government. The first Prime Minister of Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta who became Prime Minister in 1963. In 1964, Kenya became a Republic and the post of Prime Minister was abolished and Jomo Kenyatta assumed the position of President...
Raila Odinga
Raila Odinga
Raila Amollo Odinga , also popularly known to Kenyans as Agwambo, is a Kenyan politician, currently serving as the Prime Minister of Kenya in a coalition government. He has served as a Member of Parliament for Langata since 1992, was Minister of Energy from 2001 to 2002, and was Minister of Roads,...
that 22-year-old Mariga had eventually obtained a UK work permit but only after the transfer window for the Premier League had closed. Had Mariga successfully signed for Manchester City, he would have been the first player from the Premier League-mad East African country to sign for a club in the top English league.
Inter Milan
On 1 February 2010, the last day of the transfer window, Mariga moved to Inter MilanF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in a co-ownership
Co-ownership (football)
Co-ownership is a system whereby two football clubs own the contract of a player jointly, although the player is only registered to play for one club...
deal however he initially attempted a big-money move to Manchester City until a work permit was turned down by the Home Office. The transfer fee was a cash plus player deal which Parma got half the registration rights of Jonathan Biabiany
Jonathan Biabiany
Jonathan Ludovic Biabiany is a French footballer who currently plays as a winger or striker for Serie A club Parma on loan from Sampdoria.-Youth career:...
and the loan of Luis Antonio Jiménez. Following the move, Inter president Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...
hailed Mariga's move as the "best thing that could have happened" to the club in the January transfer window. He made his debut for Internazionale in the 1st leg of the 2009 Coppa Italia Semi Final against Fiorentina. Inter narrowly won the match 1–0. In March 2010 Mariga became the first Kenyan to play in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, when he entered the field as a late substitute against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
.
Mariga thought he scored his first goal for Inter on April 24, 2010 against Atalanta when he netted Samuel Eto's back pass into the roof of the net. However his shot deflected off Sulley Muntari
Sulley Muntari
Sulleyman Ali "Sulley" Muntari is a Ghanaian international footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan in Italy. He has 66 caps for The Black Stars of Ghana.-Early career:...
and the goal was credited instead to the Ghanaian. He also scored a thrashing header against Genoa for the Nerazzuri in a game that ended 3-2.
In June 2010, Inter bought him outright and bought back Biabiany for a reported fees near to €9.5M.
International career
Mariga scored his first international goal for Kenya against SwazilandSwaziland national football team
The Swaziland national football team, nicknamed Sihlangu Semnikati , is the national team of Swaziland and is controlled by the National Football Association of Swaziland. It has never qualified for the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations finals...
on 25 March 2007.
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Enköpings SK Enköpings SK Enköpings SK is a Swedish football club located in Enköping.-Background:Since their foundation on 2 March 1914 Enköpings SK has participated mainly in the middle and upper divisions of the Swedish football league system. Their best period has been over the last decade with 6 seasons in the... |
|||||||||
| 2005–06 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| Helsingborg Helsingborgs IF Helsingborgs IF , commonly referred to as Helsingborg and locally HIF, is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan... |
|||||||||
| 2006–07 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 37 | 6 | ||||||||
| Total | 37 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 37 | 6 | ||||||||
| Parma | |||||||||
| 2007–08 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 18 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2008–09 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 35 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2009–10 2009–10 Serie A The 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season... |
9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 11 | 1 | ||||||||
| Total | 62 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 62 | 3 | ||||||||
| Inter Milan F.C. Internazionale Milano Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always... |
|||||||||
| 2009–10 2009–10 Serie A The 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season... |
8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Serie A The 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011... |
12 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| Total | 20 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| Career Total | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
Honours
Internazionale Milano- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2009–10 - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2010 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2009–10 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20102010 Supercoppa Italiana- References :... - FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
: 20102010 FIFA Club World Cup- Matches :If a match was tied after normal playing time, 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If still tied after extra time, a penalty shootout would be held to determine the winner...
Personal life
His father Noah Wanyama, a left winger, played for AFC LeopardsAFC Leopards
AFC Leopards Sports Club, often simply known as "AFC" or "the Leopards," is a soccer club, based in Nairobi which was founded in 1964. Nicknamed "ingwe" , it is a traditional and popular Kenyan team and its home stadium is the Nyayo National Stadium, with a capacity of 30,000...
and the Kenyan national football team. Mariga's younger brother Victor Wanyama
Victor Wanyama
Victor Mugabe Wanyama is a Kenyan footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premier League side Celtic and the Kenya national team.-Youth career:Wanyama attended Kamukunji High School, which fields a successful football team...
is also a professional football player currently playing for Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Celtic F.C.
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, while another brother Thomas Wanyama plays for the Kenyan Premier League champions Sofapaka
Sofapaka
Sofapaka Football Club is a football club, based in Nairobi. They play their home games at the Nyayo National Stadium.The club originates from the men’s fellowship of M.A.O.S Ministries football team founded in 2002, which took part in inter-church competitions. In 2004 Elly Mboni Kalekwa took over...
, Another brother Sylvester Wanyama Plays for the Kenya premier league club Sony Sugar. Their younger sister Mercy Wanyama is the captain of Langata High School basketball team, previously she played football and netball. Mariga is the most celebrated Kenyan soccer player of all time