Ryan Ogam Reminds Wolfsberger Why He Should Play More With Starring Role at FIFA Series

Harambee Stars striker Ryan Ogam is one of the players who left the FIFA Series with their heads held high after a starring role for Kenya, sending a message to his Austrian club.

Ogam scored two goals in as many matches but should have had more were it not for a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping.

His first goal, the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Estonia, was taken well, firing a first-time shot past the goalkeeper after Zech Obiero’s beautiful assist, while he showed his poacher’s instinct in the box to slot home from close range the second goal in the 3-0 win over Grenada after Ben Stanley Omondi brought in a low cross.

His movement in and around the box and ability to shoot on either foot troubled defenders and it was already on show in his previous matches for the national team as well as Tusker FC, for who he scored 15 goals last season.

That is what earned him a dream move to Austria to join Bundesliga club Wolfsberger AC but his career in Europe has seen him dropped from the senior team to the reserves, a concern given his clinical edge in front of goal.

Ogam joined Wolfsberger with his stock high after shining for Harambee Stars at CHAN 2024 and it was hoped that he would walk straight into the team.

He was handed his debut in a 3-1 Austrian Bundesliga win over Graz AK 1902 on October 4, coming off the bench for the final 14 minutes, eliciting excitement among Kenyans but he was dropped to the bench in the subsequent two league games.

Ogam would get 46 minutes in an Austrian Cup match against SKU Amstetten on October 29 but after that, he disappeared from the horizon.

The striker was called up for Harambee Stars’ friendly matches against Equatorial Guinea and Senegal in November but by this time, he had missed four straight games, two of which he did not even make the squad.

By the end of the year, Ogam had not played eight straight top flight matches and his situation did not change in the new year as he had missed all eight matches Wolfsberger had played in 2026.

It would emerge that the striker had been dropped to the reserve team for reasons yet to be known and he now trains and plays with the second-string side, who he has featured five times so far, four of them this year, scoring three goals in the Regional League Central.

However, after his latest heroic acts for Harambee Stars, is it time Wolfsberger reconsidered their stance? While it is not known whether Ogam was struggling to adapt to his new surroundings or due to other shortcomings, the striker’s qualities in front of goal suggest that he needs to be trusted with some minutes in the senior team.

Ogam is lucky that Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy trusts him with a place in the national team and hands him starts, which is a confidence booster and he is using the opportunities to show his club why he should be playing consistently in the senior side.