Following a 39-year wait, Uganda regained its place at the continent’s football table of men when the senior team Cranes featured at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon.
Their second consecutive appearance at the continent’s most prestigious award came in this year when they made it through to the round of 16 for the first time since 1978.
However, the Cranes journey came to an end when they fell into the hands of Senegal.
On return to the country, the Cranes players and staff received a sum of $1 million (about Shs 3.7 billion) from President Yoweri Museveni as a reward for their participation in the African Cup of Nations and reaching the Round of last 16.
Since then, the players’ names have disappeared in the media and now Monday Times Uganda has taken time to find out where all the Uganda Cranes AFCON stars are playing. How they started their careers and who they idolized during their childhood.
Denis Onyango
Born May 15, 1987, Onyango is a Ugandan professional footballer who plays for South African Premier Soccer League club Mamelodi Sundowns and Uganda as a goalkeeper.
His career journey started at Nsambya FC, before SC Villa, then a top club in Kampala, spotted him in 2003. The SC Villa coach, Serbian Milutin Sredojevic, aka Micho, had organised a friendly match with a lower-division side when he spotted a tall, big-bodied teenager with an impressive raw talent and height. Even though Villa was not looking for goalkeepers at the time, Micho, who would later become the coach of the Uganda Cranes, was in no doubt that Onyango was a talent worth recruiting.
His career was not always a bed of roses for Onyango, who has since played against the world’s best, including Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2016 Ballon d’Or and Best Player winner at the FIFA Club World Cup tournament. Onyango started out at Villa Park as the fourth-choice keeper, trailing Postnet Omwony, then Uganda’s first-choice keeper, Hannington Kalyesubula, his main understudy, and Matthew Ottamax Owino, a highly talented but very peculiar Kenyan stopper. But Onyango was patient and kept training hard as he awaited his chance.
It wasn’t long until his opportunity came and just as quickly, Onyango rose through the ranks to win the league with SC Villa in 2004. Following a brief stint in Ethiopia, Onyango joined SuperSport United in 2006 and won the South African championship for all three the seasons he was there. In 2010 he moved to Black Aces. In 2011, he joined Mamelodi Sundowns where, strangely, he once again started out as a very marginal fourth-choice keeper and had to spend the 2012/13 season out on loan at Bidvest Wits FC.
In just two seasons upon returning, he went on to win the league, the Champions League and the CAF award, the most accolades ever won by a single Ugandan player in a calendar year.
With Mamelodi Sundowns, he won the 2016 CAF Champions League and took part in the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup. He was named the 2016 African-based African Player of the year. He was also ranked as the tenth best goalkeeper in the world in list for 2016 compiled by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.
Robert Odongkara
Robert Odongkara is Uganda Cranes second choice goalkeeper who plays for Horoya ACin Guinea. Odongkara joined FC Horoya from Ethiopia’s Adama City.
Before signing a two year deal with Adama City, Odongkara spent Seven years with Ethiopia’s St George Football Club, winning five Ethiopia Premier League honours and being named the goalkeeper of the season six times.
He also played for SC Villa in Uganda from 2008 – 2011.
He made his international debut for Uganda in 2010, and has appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches for the Cranes. He made one appearance at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, playing all ninety minutes of a 1–1 draw in the group stages with Mali.
Date of birth: September 2 1989 (30 years), Kitgum Uganda
Nicholas Wadada Wakiro
Nicholas Wadada Wakiro (born 27 July 1994) is a Ugandan professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Azam F.C. of Tanzania.
Wadada began playing youth football at the age of 13 with Lukuli United in 2007. He later joined St. Mary’s Kitende in 2010 and in the same year he joined Uganda Premier League club Bunamwaya FC (now Vipers SC) at the age of 16.
At the time he joined Bunamwaya FC, he was a backup player in the right-back position in few games that season.
In the 2011–12 season Wadada became a regular player and was part of the team that finished runners-up in the 2011–12 Uganda Super League.
In 2012–13 Wadada played 20 league games while Bunamwaya finished third in the Uganda Premier League (now Uganda Premier League).
In 2013–14 season his Club Bunamwaya FC changed its name to Vipers SC. Wadada maintained his first place in the team despite of Vipers SC finishing in fourth position that season. He started in 32 games and scored 3 goals.
In 2014–15 Wadada at only 20 years he became a key player and played a very big role in winning the Uganda Premier League. He played 30 games and scored 4 goals.
In 2015–16 Wadada became captain of Vipers SC. He won the Uganda Cup that season after defeating Onduparaka FC in the final. He played 34 games and scored 2 goals.
In 2016–17, Wadada captained Vipers SC team that played in the CAF Confederation Cup against Platinum Stars of South Africa. His club finished third in the Premier League. He played 35 games and netted 2 goals.
2017–18, Wadada lifted the Premier league title with Vipers SC, his second trophy as captain. he played 36 games and finished runners-up in the Uganda Cup.
In June 2018 Wadada signed a contract with Tanzanian club Azam F.C.
Murushid Juuko
Juuko was born in Entebbe, Wakiso District (14 April 1994). He has played club football for Ugandan clubs Bunamwaya and SC Victoria University before moving to Tanzania to play for Simba.
Juuko made his Uganda national team debut on 11th July 2014 against Seychelles national team. Uganda national team won 1-0.
Juuko guided the Cranes to their first Africa Cup of Nations finals since 1978. He was part of the team that defeated Comoros 1–0 to qualify for the 2017 finals in Gabon.
Having missed the first game against Ghana due to a suspension picked up during qualifiers he played 180 minutes against Egypt and Mali.
During the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Juuko played two matches, the first one against DR Congo and another against Senegal after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Khalid Aucho
Khalid Aucho (born 8 August 1993) is a Ugandan professional footballer who plays for Misr Lel Makkasa SC in the Egyptian Premier League and the Uganda national team (the “Cranes”) as a defensive midfielder.
Aucho was on the Uganda Cranes team that qualified on 4 September 2016 for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 28 years.
Aucho has played football in various clubs, such as Jinja Municipal Council F.C. from 2009 to 2010, Water F.C from 2010 to 2012, Simba FC (now UPDF FC), Tusker F.C. from Kenya, Gor Mahia F.C. from Kenya, and Baroka F.C. from the South African Premier Soccer League.
The financial nitty gritty of the deal indicate that the left footed holding midfielder will earn $600,000 over the two years he will spend in Egypt.
Bevis Kristofer Kizito Mugabi
Bevis Kristofer Kizito Mugabi (born 1 May 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender. He has played in the English Football League for Yeovil Town.
Born in England, he represents Uganda at international level.
Mugabi was born in Harrow, London. He started his career with Fulham before joining Southampton’s youth system in July 2011, and signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with the club in February 2015.
He signed for League Two club Yeovil Town on 5 August 2016 on a one-year contract.
He made his first-team debut on 9 August 2016, as a 54th-minute substitute in an EFL Cup match against Walsall.
Mugabi scored his first goal for Yeovil in an EFL Trophy tie against Portsmouth on 30 August 2016. He signed a new two-year contract with the club in May 2017.
At the end of the 2018–19 season, Mugabi was released by Yeovil following the club’s relegation from League Two.
In August 2016, Mugabi received his first call up to the Uganda national team for their friendly against Kenya and their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Comoros, but Mugabi was withdrawn from the squad by Yeovil Town with the club citing the short notice of the call-up as the reason for his withdrawal.
In March 2018, Mugabi received a second call up to the Uganda national team for two international friendlies.
Mugabi made his international debut for Uganda on 24 March 2018 in their 3–1 friendly victory over São Tomé and Príncipe.
Mugabi returned to the national team after a yearlong absence when he was included in Uganda’s squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Emmanuel Okwi
Emmanuel Arnold Okwi (born 25 December 1992) is a Ugandan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Egyptian club Al Ittihad and the Uganda national team.
Okwi played for Uganda premier League club SC Villa before joining Tanzanian team Simba S.C. for US$40,000.
In January 2013, Tunisian team Étoile Sportive du Sahel signed Okwi for a Tanzania record transfer fee of US$300,000.
The team, however, failed to pay the fee to Simba S.C. He was then cleared by FIFA’s Player Status Committee in December 2013 to return to SC Villa.
Okwi rejoined Simba S.C. in August 2014 under a six-month contract, explaining that Young Africans S.C. had terminated his contract by failing to pay the US$50,000 owed to him.
In July 2015, SønderjyskE Fodbold signed Okwi on a five-year contract, with the consent of Simba S.C that would last until 2020. In January 2017, Okwi and agreed to terminate the contract. He scored two goals in six appearances.
Upon his return from Denmark Okwi re-joined former club SC Villa signing a six-month contract. He scored 10 goals in 13 Uganda Premier League matches.
In June 2017, Okwi signed with Simba S.C. for the third time in his career having agreed a two-year contract.
In July 2019, after impressing at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Okwi joined Egyptian Premier League club Al Ittihad on a two-year contract.
Lumala Abdu
Lumala Abdu (born 21 July 1997) is a Ugandan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Egyptian club Pyramids FC and the Uganda national team.
Abdu grew up with his grandmother in the village of Kataba since his mother had died when he was just a few months old and since the father was unknown.
When he was 10 he was given a Henrik Larsson-shirt as a birthday present by his aunt.
In hope of receiving a better life his grandmother sent him away to the capital Kampala when he was 16.
Abdu took many jobs, mostly washing cars before he met a few white Europeans who managed to get him on a plane to Sturup Airport.
He was left alone on the streets of Malmö and there he contacted Migrationsverket. They managed to get accommodation for Abdu in the little town of Bromölla. There he started training with the local club Ifö/Bromölla playing in the Swedish 5th tier, but after not managing to find any football shoes he and a friend moved to 9th tier side Gualövs GoIF.
He was instantly made captain and after scoring 20 goals in 10 games big local club Mjällby AIF signed him in the summer of 2014.
He played the rest of the year with the U17s and U19s. Before the next season Abdu was moved up to the A-Team playing in Swedish second division Superettan. He impressed, scoring 3 goals in 24 games being only 17 when the season started.
The rumours of his talent spread and clubs like Malmö FF and Olympiacos wanting to sign him.
Abdu instead ended up in Swedish top flight club Kalmar FF. In his first season, he played 10 league matches.
Ahead of the 2017 season Abdu was loaned out to Superettan club Varbergs BoIS. After half a season with the club, he returned to Kalmar FF just to be loaned out once again, this time to his idol Henrik Larsson’s mother club Helsingborgs IF.
He made his debut in a game against GAIS. At the back of Abdu’s shirt it says “Lumalinho”
In July 2019, Abdu joined Egyptian Premier League club Pyramids FC where he linked up with former Uganda coach Sébastien Desabre
He made his Uganda national football team debut on 9 June 2019 in a friendly against Turkmenistan, as a starter.
