Michael Olunga Undergoes Surgery, Dealing a Significant Setback for Benni McCarthy and Kenyan Hopes

The impressive Olunga, who also serves as captain for Harambee Stars, was omitted from coach Benni McCarthy’s squad for the recent FIFA Series friendly matches during the international break due to this injury.

Kenya participated in the FIFA Series 2026 held in Rwanda from March 23 to 31, 2026, alongside Estonia, Grenada, and Rwanda in Group A. The team drew 1-1 with Estonia (losing 4-5 on penalties) on March 27, and secured a 3-0 victory against Grenada on March 30, 2026, with all matches played in Kigali, Rwanda.

Olunga Faces Pelvic Injury

Olunga’s club, Al Arabi in Saudi Arabia, has released a statement confirming that the former Gor Mahia player sustained a pelvic injury during a recent match in the Qatar Stars League, necessitating surgery.

“Our player, Michael Olunga, has undergone successful surgery for a pelvic injury this morning in Paris, France,” Al Arabi announced via social media.

In detailing his recovery timeframe, Al Arabi stated: “The player is expected to be out for eight weeks and will undergo a rehabilitation programme under the care of the club’s medical team.”

This eight-week rehabilitation programme means Olunga will miss the remainder of the season, with the league scheduled to finish on April 28.

Currently, Olunga has helped Al Arabi secure fifth place in the 12-team league with 31 points from 19 matches, which includes nine wins, four draws, and six losses. He has scored six league goals this season.

Olunga started the season in good form, notably scoring a brace against Qatar SC in late November 2025, after transitioning to Al Arabi from a successful spell at Al Duhail SC in the same league.

Record-Breaking Ambitions

This injury presents a major hurdle for Olunga, who made his debut for the national team in a friendly against Seychelles at Stade Linité in Victoria in 2015 and has set a personal target with the Harambee Stars.

He is on the brink of breaking the all-time Kenyan goal record of 34 goals held by Gor Mahia legend William Ouma; Olunga currently sits just one goal behind the record.

“I remain hopeful that with hard work, I will one day have the opportunity to become Kenya’s all-time top goalscorer,” he remarked.

As the Harambee Stars gear up for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will take place in East Africa, a number of friendly matches are already planned, unfortunately leaving Olunga unable to participate.

Beginning his career in Sweden with Djurgarden IF, Olunga later moved to the Chinese club Guizhou Zhicheng, which subsequently loaned him to La Liga’s Girona FC for a year.

He made his La Liga debut against Las Palmas, where he famously netted a hat-trick in just 22 minutes during a 6-0 victory, making him the first Kenyan player and the first Girona player to achieve such a feat in La Liga.

His journey continued with a transfer to Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol, where he scored eight goals in a remarkable 13-1 win over Kyoto Sanga. He concluded that season with 27 league goals, guiding Kashiwa to the J2 league title and securing promotion to the top tier.

In 2020, Olunga emerged as the leading scorer in the J1 League, netting 28 goals and earning both the Golden Boot and the J-League MVP award, becoming the first African to receive the latter honour.

After signing a three-year deal with Al Duhail SC in Qatar, he became the top scorer in the 2021 AFC Champions League, despite Al Duhail being eliminated after a 1-1 draw with Al Ahli Saudi in late April.

Olunga played a pivotal role in assisting Al Duhail to clinch the 2022/23 Qatar Stars League title, scoring four goals in a 5-2 defeat of Al Shamal before later switching to Al Arabi.

He netted his debut goal for the Harambee Stars in a friendly match against South Sudan, leading to a 2-0 victory.