When Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool take to the pitch for the UEFA Champions League final Saturday night, Kenyans will be watching with bated breath to see if Victor Wanyama will be the second player from the country to win the coveted trophy.
Wanyama was a key member of the Tottenham team that registered a memorable comeback against Ajax Amsterdam in the semifinals to reach Saturday’s final at Atletico Madri’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Coincidentally, the only other Kenyan to have won the Champions League is Wanyama’s elder brother McDonald Mariga when Italian side Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in 2010 also in Madrid at the Santiago Bernabue.
And as Spurs fans descend on Madrid, Wanyama made sure his family is not left behind, splashing Sh2 million to ensure they watch him live.
On Saturday morning, Wanyama’s mother Mildred, a former netball player, Mariga, brothers Thomas and Silvester, also footballers, and sister Mercy, a basketball player, were among fans who had already taken their seats at Wanda Metropolitano, hours before kick off.
