Michael Olunga has surgery as notable setback for Benni McCarthy and Kenya

The prominent Olunga, who leads Kenya’s Harambee Stars as captain, missed coach Benni McCarthy’s lineup for the recent FIFA Series friendly games over the FIFA break because of his injury.

Kenya took part in the FIFA Series 2026 in Rwanda between March 23rd and 31st, 2026, in Group A alongside Estonia, Grenada, and Rwanda. Kenya ended in a 1-1 draw against Estonia, falling 4-5 in the penalty shootout on March 27th, then beat Grenada 3-0 on March 30th, 2026. These games occurred in Kigali, Rwanda.

Olunga deals with pelvic injury

Olunga’s team in Saudi Arabia, Al Arabi, issued a statement verifying that the ex-Gor Mahia forward picked up a pelvic issue in a latest Qatar Stars League match, leading to surgery.

“Our player, Michael Olunga, suffered a pelvic injury. He underwent successful surgery this morning in Paris, France,” Al Arabi posted on social media.

Al Arabi added on how long Olunga will miss action: “The player is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks, during which time he will undergo a rehabilitation program under the supervision of the club’s medical staff.”

This eight-week recovery plan ensures Olunga misses the rest of the season with Al Arabi, as the campaign wraps up on April 28th.

Olunga leaves Al Arabi in fifth place in the 12-team standings with 31 points from 19 outings. Al Arabi secured nine victories, four draws, and six defeats. This term, Olunga netted just six league strikes for his side.

He kicked off the year well, including a double against Qatar SC in late November 2025. Olunga transferred to Al Arabi following a fruitful period at Al Duhail SC in the same competition.

Olunga aims to shatter record

This setback hits hard for Olunga, who first represented Kenya in a friendly versus Seychelles at Stade Linité in Victoria back in 2015, and holds a key ambition with the Harambee Stars.

Olunga now seeks to surpass the Kenyan record for most goals, held by ex-Gor Mahia star William Ouma at 34 strikes. Olunga needs only one more to claim it.

In a fresh chat with Flashscore, Olunga stayed upbeat about reaching the milestone. He noted: “Having a coach like Benni McCarthy, who holds the record as South Africa’s top scorer, inspires me to think it is possible.

“If I keep pushing with the national squad, hopefully God grants me the chance someday to become Kenya’s greatest goalscorer.”

As Harambee Stars gear up for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in East Africa, several warm-up matches are scheduled, but Olunga cannot join them.

Olunga began his professional path in Sweden with Djurgarden IF, then shifted to China’s Guizhou Zhicheng, who sent him on loan to Spanish club Girona FC for a season.

Olunga debuted in La Liga facing Las Palmas, netting a hat-trick in 22 minutes in a 6-0 triumph, marking him as the initial Kenyan and Girona player to achieve a La Liga hat-trick.

He then signed with Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol, where he bagged eight goals in a 13-1 rout of Kyoto Sanga. Olunga ended the campaign with 27 league tallies, helping Kashiwa win the J2 title and earn promotion to the top tier.

In 2020, Olunga topped the scoring charts in the Japanese J1 League with 28 goals, claiming the Golden Boot and J-League 2020 MVP honours. He became the first African to earn the J-League MVP title.

Olunga led the scoring in the 2020 Japanese J1 League with 28 goals, securing the Golden Boot and J-League 2020 MVP, thus becoming the first African to take the J-League MVP award.

Upon arriving in Qatar, he inked a three-year deal with Al Duhail SC, leading the scorers in the 2021 AFC Champions League, though Al Duhail exited after a 1-1 stalemate with Al Ahli Saudi in late April, as Esteghlal advanced as group leaders.

He then steered Al Duhail to the 2022/23 Qatar Stars League crown, netting four in a 5-2 win over Al Shamal, prior to switching to Al Arabi.

Olunga opened his account for the Harambee Stars in a friendly win 2-0 over South Sudan.