- We knew that this season was going to be tough and we were well prepared

- My main goal is to help Al Duhail compete strongly at the highest level and score more goals

- Our team has the capacity to make up for the absences, we look forward to regaining league shield

- Winning the Mansour Muftah Award (for Top Scorer) was one of the defining moments in my career

 

Michael Olunga has been leading Al Duhail’s attack for quite some time now. The Kenyan striker has made a name for himself not only in Qatar, but also on the Asian football scene.

Olunga, who joined Al Duhail in the January transfer window of 2020-2021 season, won the Mansour Muftah Award for the Top Scorer in the 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League with 24 goals, helping The Red Knights to the runners-up position in the league, behind Al Sadd.

The tall player, who was the top scorer in the 2021 AFC Champions League with nine goals despite Al Duhail exiting the tournament in group stage, was the Japanese J-League top scorer (28 goals) in 2020 with Kashiwa Reysol.

Olunga is continuing from where he left off as he scored a hat-trick in Al Duhail’s 3-0 win over Qatar SC in Week 6 of the 2022-2023 QNB Stars League, where he is now the second-highest (joint) scorer with five goals.

Olunga spoke to Qatar Stars League website in an Exclusive Interview.

Excerpts:

To start the interview with, tell us how do you see the start of this season?

We knew that the new 2022-2023 season was going to be tough. At the same time, we had prepared for tough competition. It’s a perfect opportunity, especially in the FIFA World Cup Qatar year, for some good displays and hopefully we’re looking forward to a productive time throughout the season.

Do you think you can continue the same performance from last season when you were the top scorer (24 goals)?

I’ve to try and work hard in each and every game. When you compete with teams at the highest level, it’s important to maintain consistency to become a better player and I like to replicate the feat. At the same time, I’ll only be happy with my performance if it helps Al Duhail achieve a top position in the new season.

What targets have you set for yourself and with Al Duhail in the 2022-2023 season?

My primary target is to help Al Duhail compete at the highest level in all competitions. Of course, team game is more important. We’ve many tournaments, including the AFC Champions League. I aim to go as further as I can with the team.

Individually, I want to help Al Duhail by scoring a lot of goals and hopefully I can be a part of Al Duhail’s success story this season.

How do you see Al Duhail’s team composition this season in terms of balance in all departments of the game?

The team composition hasn’t changed much. At the moment, we’ve many players in the Qatar national squad, it’s indeed an honour for the team. At the same time, Al Duhail have the capacity to make up for the absences and we’re working hard to strike the right balance with the squad, so every player brings out the quality in him for the good of the team. We’ve to make the best use of available resources.

Al Duhail finished runners-up to Al Sadd in the last two league championships. Do you think it’s high time you regain the league shield?

Of course, that’s our target. We want to go out and challenge other title contenders. This season is quite long, so we had geared up for it in right earnest. We had been striving hard to get a good balance in the squad so that we can compete strongly in all tournaments. At the end of the day, we want to compete at the highest level and obtain optimum results.

What’re the defining moments in your career so far?

I cherish many such moments. In Qatar, it was a fantastic feeling when I won the Mansour Muftah award (for the QNB Stars League Top Scorer) last season. Becoming the J-League top scorer in 2020 with Kashiwa Reysol was also a wonderful feeling. Imagine, my team finished only seventh and I could become the top scorer!

How has your experience thus far in Qatar?

It’s fantastic and amazing to play alongside players of great calibre. I’m so happy to be plying my trade in the QNB Stars League. Qatar has outstanding facilities and infrastructure, and it’s great to see this country readying itself to welcome the FIFA World Cup.