‘My Best Player’ - Gor Mahia Defender Worms His Way into Benni McCarthy’s Heart

As Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy takes stock of what he has seen from the FIFA Series, one player has left him very impressed and that is Gor Mahia defender Frank Odhiambo.

Odhiambo was among those who made their Harambee Stars debut at the mini-tournament in Kigali, Rwanda and his performances left McCarthy in awe, perhaps a warning to others that their positions in the team are not assured.

The Gor Mahia star started Kenya’s 1-1 draw with Estonia on Friday and was among four players who retained their spots in the starting XI when they faced Grenada on Monday. There are good reasons for it.

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Odhiambo had an outstanding performance on Friday with his calming presence and assured display seeing him sniff out danger with ease, his qualities on the ball a joy to watch, while he used his aerial presence to keep opponents at bay on set-pieces.

McCarthy seems to have discovered another defensive gem and he is thrilled by what he has seen from the defender so much so that he has termed him the most outstanding player from the 23 that he selected for the FIFA Series.

“Frank has been outstanding. He has probably been my best player over the two games,” McCarthy admitted during his post-match interview on Monday.

The high praise came a day after the South African coach had enumerated what qualities he liked in Odhiambo after his bright debut on Friday.

“Frank was exceptional. He did not look like a player making his first appearance for the national team,” McCarthy had said during his pre-match press conference on Sunday.

“He was commanding, assertive and aggressive, everything a coach wants in a defender. He has been a wonderful addition to the squad and for me, he was probably my man of the match because he was outstanding from the first minute all the way to the penalties.”

It is a major turnaround for the defender who returned to Gor Mahia during the midseason transfer window after struggling for gametime at Swedish club Djurgarden, who he signed for in 2022.

He would find himself in loan stints at IFK Haninge, Vasalunds IF, AFC Eskilstuna and IF Karlstad in Sweden but when the chance to return to K’Ogalo presented itself, he grabbed it and has been a revelation since, helping Gor Mahia’s title push.

That caught McCarthy’s attention and the tactician now feels having outstanding local-based players like that will bode well when he gets all his big hitters back as he builds towards the 2027 Africa cup of Nations.

“It has been positive vibes so when you get the likes of Daniel Anyembe back, Zak Vyner, Joseph Okumu coming back from injury, fit and healthy, you just have quality. It gives a lot of options of top players so you see the little bit of positive stuff that we do,” McCarthy further said on Monday.

Odhiambo’s rise to prominence is added pressure for others in defence, especially Gor Mahia teammates Sylvester Owino, whose place he took in the national team after an injury ruled him out of the FIFA Series, but the likes of Mike Kibwage and Alphonce Omija will also be looking over their shoulders.