Meet Mathare United's Bernard Omondi: The defender who dreams of playing for Juventus
Mathare United defender Benard Omondi juggles the ball during a training session in Makadara, Nairobi on October 29, 2014. PHOTO | PAULINE ONGAJI |
What you need to know:
- A year later, he joined a local club, Hamza Heroes, a team he left in 2011, instead opting to try his luck with another local team, The Bedjoes, based in Maringo Estate.
- Omondi hasn’t been immune to challenges associated with being a footballer.
He is one of the key defenders in the Kenyan Premier League side Mathare United, a club he joined early this year.
Perhaps one of the reasons that saw Bernard Omondi, join the club early this year, is his ability to play both as a fullback and a central defender.
Like any other player, his soccer talent kick-started as a young boy, while a student at Martin Luther Primary school in Makadara, Nairobi.
Like many youth who wanted to horn their skills, Omondi joined Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) at 10, where he featured for the youth teams until 2007.
LONG JOURNEY TO THE KPL
A year later, he joined a local club, Hamza Heroes, a team he left in 2011, instead opting to try his luck with another local team, The Bedjoes, based in Maringo Estate.
“My short stint at Bedjoes came to an end in June the same year, as I joined Nakuru AllStars, a club I played for only six months,” explains the defender, who draws inspiration from former Kenyan International defender Sammy 'Pamzo' Omollo.
Early 2012, Omondi joined National Division One side Moyas FC where he stayed for a year before moving to another second tier side Nairobi Stima.
“It is from here that I joined Mathare United early this year,” he adds.
Though some would still consider him a fringe player in the Mathare United squad as coach Stanley Okumbi used him sparingly in his maiden season, he considers himself a great defender.
“I was crowned twice as the best defender at Hamza Heroes, a title that I again received while playing for Bedjoes,” he says.
INJURY WORRIES
Like any other player, Omondi hasn’t been immune to challenges associated with being a footballer. The main problem he says, is coping with injuries that interfere with a player’s momentum.
“For instance, I have been struggling with a knee injury I incurred way back in June,” he says, however insisting that this hasn’t thwarted his dream to make a name for himself in the world of football.
Though he is happy with his current stay at Mathare United, Omondi’s dream remains to feature for 30-time Italian Serie A champions Juventus.
