Former AFC Leopards striker and current Equity FC head coach in FKF Division One Ray Omondi, has revealed that not scoring enough goals for Ingwe was the biggest regret of his career as a professional footballer.Omondi stated this in the new episode of The Buzz on YouTube .The learned striker is perhaps best known for his time at Thika United, where he broke in to the limelight with the now defunct club.##NAJAVA_MECA_8002536##Ray developed a passion for football during his formative years as he played estate football in the dusty fields of Jamhuri, Nairobi where he honed his skills alongside the likes of Jesse Were who is Zesco United’s all-time top scorer.Omondi’s determination and an eye for goal earned him a place in the provincial league with Pirates back in 2009 now known as Dimba Patriots and It did not take long for his talent to get noticed around the area and soon secured a deal to Kibera Celtic.A brilliant chap he is, Ray balanced between football and books despite earlier setbacks at Mathare United who were primed to hand him his first shot in the Kenya Premier League but failed to impress Coach Stanley Okumbi. The heartbreak was later turned into joy when his elder brother musician Dan Aceda notified him of trials at Nairobi City Stars which he says, “I needed only 15 minutes to impress the coaches and sign.”He would then jump onto the now defunct Thika United train after leaving a lasting impression at Nairobi City Stars, however, had to leave the country for sojourns in England at the University of Central Lancashire to pursue a Master in Finance Management with the hope that he could relaunch his career in a foreign country but the institution “did not have a strong football team and opted to train with a lower league team,” he tells The Buzz.Joseph Okumu lands multiple accolades in FranceIt was in England that the big breakthrough in football came under unexpected circumstances as former AFC Leopards coach Stewart Hall came convincing him to link up with Ingwe after landing a coaching role at the club but his stay was cut short after three weeks with Robert Matano taking over.Despite struggling for game time due to numerous injuries that had camped at his home, Omondi says this is the time he fell in love with Leopards and remained their biggest fan.“I loved every moment at AFC Leopards. It is the time I fell in love with the club and became their greatest supporter.” He says.Omondi further reveals, “Failing to score a lot of goals for AFC Leopards was the biggest regret of my career, I felt I could have done better with them since Ingwe is a big club.”But what was wrong during his time with the twelve-time Kenya Premier League champions? “Change of coaches harmed my career and the politics at the club pushed me out of the team, Ingwe is a good club but full of petty politics.”Ingwe at 60: A Masterstroke in social and brand deepeningHe would then depart Leopards for Posta Rangers after the incoming of Argentine expert Rodolfo Zapata, his stay with the Mailmen was cut short when he decided to terminate his contract in 2018 due to delayed salaries.“I left Ingwe for Pota Rangers but that never turned out well. In my entire career I had never seen an unprofessionally run club like that – we could go for two months without salary which prompted me to terminate the contract and go back to City Stars,” he says.At City Stars, he suffered a horrific knee injury that sidelined him for a year and later ushered him into coaching.Career regretsDuring his playing time, Omondi was tipped to become one of the best strikers in the country as he admitted looking up to the likes of Dennis Oliech but could not hit the heights due to what he terms as ‘bad decisions’. He says having a management team could have helped him achieve more in football and suggests that too much partying derailed his career as he felt reluctant not knowing there are no limits to achievement.“If there is one thing I could change is partying, I could have achieved more if I was well managed and had someone pushing me to the limits,” Omondi stated.Message to current and aspiring footballers“Plan for your exit we won’t be in football for long, it is better to get something that you want to do and implement it as soon as it matters.”
