Who is Vincent Harper? Everything You Need to Know About English-born Star Drafted into Benni McCarthy's Harambee Stars Squad

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has recalled former Bristol City man Vincent Harper to his 23-man squad that will be facing Burundi and Ivory Coast on October 6th and 13th in what will be the final round of 2026 World Cup qualifying games.

The decision has sparked interest amongst Kenyan fans again, considering the fact that the player, who was drafted into the squad exactly two years ago by former coach Engin Firat,  never featured in Turkey against Russia.

Harper has been playing regularly at left wing back for League One side Walsall FC in England, making five league appearances since joining from Exeter City in the summer.

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But who exactly is the 24-year-old? And why did he accept a call up to the set up? Pulse Sports Kenya brings you up to speed with who Harper is.

A left footed player, Vincent Harper has developed a reputation for being a proper touchline left wing back who stretches opposition with his pace, and also bombs up and down with a lot of energy.

His speed stats are impressive — in the video game ratings he has Acceleration ~88 and Sprint Speed ~92 (on EA FC / FIFA / similar titles) which underline how he can both burst forward in attack and recover quickly in defensive transitions. 

 He is also described by his new club (Walsall FC) as “explosive” and able to handle one-on-one defensive challenges well.

 On FBref, in the 2024/25 season he made 12 starts and 14 substitute appearances in all competitions, accumulating 1,220 minutes, scoring 2 goals, and being involved in 4 goal contributions (goals + assists) overall. These stats suggest he offers more than typical defensive output in terms of attacking support.

Defensively, Harper shows solid contributions in duels, interceptions, and recoveries. In League Two 2025/26, per FootyStats, he commits about 2.23 fouls per 90 minutes, and so far has not scored or assisted, reflecting a more cautious, balanced approach in his new environment. 

According to FotMob, he ranks in the 93rd percentile for defensive contributions compared to other fullbacks, indicating his relative strength in tackling, blocking, and recovery. 

In a recent match, he recorded 15 tackles, 8 interceptions, 12 recoveries, and was dribbled past 4 times — stats that show he is active, aggressive defensively, and not easily bypassed. 

Benni McCarthy is missing Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma in the squad, with the former Gor Mahia man picking up an unfortunate achilles injury earlier this month, which means Abud Omar is the only other natural left wing back in the squad.

This has clearly prompted McCarthy to call up the speedstar, with the coach recently adopting a back three formation with wingbacks stretching the play on certain occasions.

Head Coach Mat Sadler heaped praise on Adam Wilson when he signed for the club.

“Vincent is a very explosive wing-back with a very athletic profile.He’s quick, likes to get at his man but he’s a very good one-v-one defender as well,” Sadler said.

“He comes to us on the back of a lot of games in League One last season for Exeter so it’s a very important signing for us.

“He’s someone we’ve worked on for quite some time in the off season and he was highly sought after by a lot of clubs in our division.”