The name of Gor Mahia FC’s right back Rooney Onyango has been on the lips of Kenya’s football fanatics in the recent past.
On Monday, November 20, when Kenya’s national team played against Seychelles, the Gor Mahia prodigy stood out in the stellar performance that saw the boys win the match 5-0.
Onyango, 22, inspired the team to its first win in the World Cup qualification campaign after scoring a goal and assisting another in just his second start for Harambee Stars in a competitive match.
But his performance in the national colors did not come as a surprise judging by his recent performances in league football.
The right-footed player is known for his versatility especially on the right side.
Born in 2001, Rooney Onyango grew up in a middle-income family in Thika’s Makongeni and later Mathare slums in Nairobi.
His football journey dates back to his childhood days in Makongeni and Mathare slums.
Rooney’s supportive father names him after Man United legend
His father, a football fan and staunch fan of English Premier League side Manchester United named him Rooney after the legendary English player Wayne Rooney, not knowing that his son would later come to be a football sensation.
Upon completion of his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Rooney’s prospects in football came in handy after a sponsor volunteered to cater for his school fees.
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Subsequently, the young Onyango enrolled at Passenga High School in Nyandarua County which was at the time among the best performing in terms of football.
The talented player would then continue nurturing his football prospects in the school alongside his secondary education.
After impressing in the secondary school’s competitions in 2016 and 2017, scouts from local football clubs identified him and subsequently ushered him into the world of club football.
He first signed for Thika United before playing for several clubs in the National Super League, Kenya’s second-tier league, including Shaban and Gusii FC, both dominant sides in the Nyanza region.
But it did not take too long for bigwigs in Kenya football to identify the gem in Onyango’s right foot.
How Rooney Onyango rose to the National team
In 2021, Wazito FC- which was then known for breaking banks in snatching top talents in Kenya’s football space came calling. He joined the side in 2021 to hand him an introduction into Kenya’s topflight football again.
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After a three-year spell at the club now known as Muhoroni Youth, Rooney signed for Gor Mahia in 2023 despite the competition for the right back position posed by experienced Philemon Otieno who was also the club’s captain.
But his performances were hard not to notice, and he eventually cemented a starting position in the Jonathan McKinstry-led squad. Also, it did not take newly appointed Harambee Stars Coach Egnin Firat too long to recognize Onyango’s talent.
In October, Firat handed Rooney his debut for the national team in a friendly match between Kenya and Russia that ended in a 2-2 draw. Rooney also got the nod in the match against Gabon played on Thursday, November 17 in Franceville.
Could he be the next big thing in Kenya’s football?
