In August 2022, Harambee Stars defender Johnstone Omurwa signed for Portuguese second-tier side Estrela da Amadora for his first professional stint outside the Kenyan borders.The eventful season ended with Amadora earning promotion to the top tier through the playoffs. They defeated top-tier side Maritimo 3-2 via penalties after an aggregate scoreline of 3-3 in the two-legged tie. The team returns to the top league after being away for 14 years.##NAJAVA_MECA_7318510##Omurwa missed the return leg that they lost 2-1 away after seeing red in the first leg at home that they registered a 2-1 win.Next season, he will become the first Kenyan player to grace the Portuguese Liga, and Mozzart Sport caught up with the former Wazito FC captain for an exclusive interview.Harambee Stars defender Johnstone Omurwa will play in the Portuguese top tier league next season after earning promotion with Estrela da Amadora via playoffs.Amadora return to the top league after 14 years. pic.twitter.com/dMVxwbXvpZ— Ole Teya (@TeyaKevin) June 13, 2023 First, congratulations on earning a promotion. How have the past few days been for you and the club as a whole?It has been great because the work we put in throughout the season paid off, and everyone is happy. The celebration here has been out of this world; I have never seen such a thing before. The people here love their football and their clubs, and I am really happy to be in such an environment. The promotion really means a lot to them, and business came to a standstill here when we had our open bus parade.The playoff must have been tough considering that it ended in a stalemate and had to be decided through penalties.It was tough. Maritimo is a top team, and even the quality of football they played was there for everyone to see; they were a step higher. However, we had a plan, which I think we implemented well, to stop them, and when it reached the penalties, it was a matter of luck; penalties can go either way, and fortunately, it went our way.How were the playoffs and the experience of playing a top league team?The playoffs gave us a whole new experience. For me and most of the players because it was the first time that we were using VAR, for example. We had three goals ruled out in both legs, while Maritimo had one. The calls were marginal, and ordinarily maybe the goals would have stood without the use of VAR, and definitely I want to get used to playing at the highest level. It was unfortunate that I saw red in the last minutes of the first leg, but fortunately we have enough cover in that area, and my teammates did the job in the return leg; credit to them.Em português, Evra deixou uma mensagem de apoio ao Estrela da Amadora para a segunda mão do playoff de subida.pic.twitter.com/5t2eNJ1sDO— Cabine Desportiva (@CabineSport) June 10, 2023 This was your first season playing club football outside Kenya. How have the last ten months in Portugal been?I faced so many challenges when I landed here, I won’t lie. This was my first club outside Kenya and also my first time in Portugal, and I knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but maybe I just did not have a clear picture of how things would turn out.First was the language barrier; I could only speak English, and few people here speak it, so it was difficult, but they enrolled me in Portuguese classes, and I can now communicate comfortably.Another problem was the food. I am used to eating Ugali and other Kenyan delicacies, and I found food here a big challenge. I struggled, but they were helpful; they managed to learn the kind of foods that we eat in Kenya, and the club chefs started preparing food similar to what we take back home, and slowly by slowly, that was solved. But now that I have gotten used to their food, it’s no longer a problem.The weather was also a big problem; I arrived when it was so cold, and I froze most of the time. Here there is ice recovery after training, and the is fine for those who do not go through the recovery session. Here is a situation where the weather is already too hard on me, and now I have to enter an ice bath after every training session. Fortunately, they understood that I come from a largely hot country and excluded me from the ice recovery sessions after I explained it to them.I also picked an injury that initially would take a few days to heal. Unfortunately, the ankle problem ended up sidelining me for six weeks, and this came at a time when I had started seven games in a row. It was a mental blow because I wasn’t sure if I would return to the starting XI again, as the team was doing well even in my absence.Another thing was the tempo of the game; the tempo here is too fast, and a few training sessions in, I realized that I had to be fitter to adapt. But through hard work and support from the team, I managed to adapt, and all is well now.Adapting to new realities was a problem as well, because, for example, we sometimes train at night when we have a night game coming up. And I would be preparing to go to bed only to realize or be informed that I was supposed to be at the training ground (laughs), but that’s no longer a problem anymore.Estrela da Amadora ❤️🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/tglNq6cpYK— Tiago (@TiagoTeixeira86) June 11, 2023 Who did you turn to when things looked hard?I spoke to several of my teammates in the national team, like Joseph Okumu, and they encouraged me. They told me that the first season in Europe is always the toughest and that I would eventually adapt, and true to their word, things have gotten better.What has been the biggest lesson in your first season playing football outside Kenya?The need to take care of my body. Eating well, recovering, resting, having enough sleep, and generally being cautious with anything I take, I think I was doing badly in terms of nutrition, and it has been a season full of lessons on that front.What would you say is the biggest shocker there?I think my biggest shock was how well young kids play football here compared to Kenya. We train with the U17 and U23 teams regularly, and unless told, you may not realize that they are actually youngsters. They understand how the senior team plays because the philosophy is uniform from the senior and junior teams, and so for them, it is easy to fit into the first team. They are good at football, and that’s probably the reason their national team is among the best in the world.What’s one major thing you’d say you like at the club?They take care of the players well. We are treated very well, and that makes performing on the pitch easy. We have a club president who is so close to the players and wants to know how you are faring. He also gets to know more about your family back home, and it’s a good feeling to be valued by your boss. Of course, when he visits us, he does not leave us empty-handed (laughs).Acabou a espera! ⏰O Estrela da Amadora está de regresso ao principal escalão! ☝️#sporttvportugal #LIGAnaSPORTTV #ligaportugalbwin #maritimo #estreladaamadora pic.twitter.com/1HHZUHJriV— SPORT TV (@SPORTTVPortugal) June 11, 2023 Do you think that Portuguese clubs will now be looking at more Kenyan players?I think they already are. In the past, they were focused on West and southern Africa, but they now realize that there are good players in this part of the world. I would definitely want to see more of my compatriots in the Portuguese league.You’ll be gracing the top tier next season; how does that make you feel?It’s surreal because every player wants to play at the top level, and you also get a chance to impress other top clubs. There is also a chance of playing continental football if we perform well in the league, and there is so much to look forward to next season. I just plan to have a good pre-season with the team and have an injury-free season. I am confident that we will do well next year.Have you met other Kenyan players in Portugal?I have not met any senior players yet, but there are a number of players in our academy who have Kenyan roots. You hear of some names, and immediately you know that these are some of our own (chuckles).Last night, Estrela da Amadora won on penalties in the playoff to return to Portugal’s Primera Divisião, and, having flown back from Madeira, its a lot of fun this evening!And I can’t help thinking about how Nottingham council couldn’t be bothered to do anything for #Notts pic.twitter.com/a78NryTNXP— Sam_GDT (@SamGuideDogTra1) June 12, 2023 What’s your advice to local players planning to go professional in the future?There is no substitute for hard work; they just have to work hard. They must change their lifestyle; for example, too much partying cannot go hand in hand with playing at the highest level. They must also invest in their craft—hit the gym, for example, and train extra on their own to improve in areas that they are struggling in.For the coaches, I think they have to adapt to styles that will benefit the players. For example, right now no team in Europe plays long balls, and we probably need a change in style in the league to one that allows players to be comfortable on the ball and play all the way from the back. The intensity at home is another factor; the league is too slow, and we need to work on that as well. Kenya has many talented players, but it’s the small factors that let us down.BJK Cup 2023 Day 5 Live: Kenya face Nigeria in Pool A decider
