Victor Wanyama: The 'Lion of Muthurwa' Finally Calls Time on Illustrious Football Career

Victor Wanyama, one of Kenya’s most gifted players, has finally retired from football.

Wanyama, Kenya’s biggest football export, and the only one to have played in the prestigious English Premier League has announced his retirement, bringing the curtains down on a career that spanned nearly 20 years.

“Today I announce my retirement from football,” Wanyama announced via a social media statement on Friday.

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“Four different countries. Six different clubs. A boy from Muthurwa with a big dream, carrying a nation’s pride every time I stepped onto the pitch.

“To my family, friends, agent, the fans, and the coaching staff that helped me throughout my career. Thank you for walking this journey with me. I now take my next step into coaching where I will be completing my UEFA A License this year,” added the former Celtic, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and CF Montreal midfielder.

Wanyama’s football career started when he was at Kamukunji High School with his father Noah Wanyama, a former footballer for Kenya and AFC Leopards, playing a big role in shaping him and his elder brother McDonald Mariga.

Growing up in Landi Mawe in Nairobi’s Muthurwa Estate, life was tough but it is football that got the family out of poverty, Wanyama going on to join JMJ Academy in 2006 before brief stints followed at Nairobi City Stars, AFC Leopards and then a move to Swedish side Helsingborg in 2007.

Less than a year later, he joined Belgian side Beerschot AC where he made 56 appearances before a move to Glasgow Celtic in July, 2011.

Wanyama became a cult hero at Celtic, winning the league title in his first season before enhancing his reputation further in 2012/13 with 49 appearances for the Scottish giants as they clinched the league and Scottish Cup double.

He scored nine goals in that campaign, including the opener against Barcelona in a famous 2-1 win in the Champions League at Parkhead, as they went on to advance to the knockout stages. His performances earned him the SPL's Young Player of the Year award.

That earned him a move to Southampton in the summer of 2013, signing for a reported £12.5 million, making him the first Kenyan to ever play in the English Premier League.

At St Mary’s, Wanyama enhanced his reputation further, under Mauricio Pochettino and then Rinaldo Koeman, becoming an undroppable as the Saints finished eighth in 2013-14, their best-ever in the Premier League, and in the summer of 2016, he ditched Southampton for Tottenham Hotspur.

The popular midfielder made 97 appearances for Spurs in all competitions and scored seven times, including the opening goal in their final game at White Hart Lane against Manchester United.

Wanyama formed part of a strong Spurs midfield alongside the likes of Mousa Dembele, Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier during his time at the club.

It was his partnership in the engine room with Dembele that powered Tottenham to their best-ever finish of second in the Premier League in 2016/17. The pair started together in some of the dominant wins fans will always remember in that last season at the Lane - 5-0 against Swansea, 4-0 against West Brom, Stoke, Watford and Bournemouth.

His towering header to open the scoring against Man United in the Lane's Finale in May, 2017 and an absolute rocket into the top corner against Liverpool at the Kop end at Anfield in February, 2018 as well as reaching the 2019 UEFA Champions League final are some of his career highlights in a Spurs shirt.

In March 2020, Wanyama left Spurs for MLS side CF Montreal. He won the Canadian Championship in 2021 and made 133 appearances in four-and-a-half years before returning to Scotland where he had a brief stint at Dunfermline Athletic last season.

With Harambee Stars, ‘Big Vic’ won 64 caps, having made his senior debut aged just 15, and went on to become the captain of his national team, leading Kenya at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Wanyama will be remembered as a Kenyan sporting icon who broke the glass ceiling and opened the doors for many footballers from the country to play in Europe.