Kenyan winger Linton Maina led FC Cologne’s celebrations as they sealed an immediate return to the German Bundesliga after being crowned champions of the second division following a huge 4-0 win over Kaiserslautern on the final match day on Sunday 18 May.Maina, born to a Kenyan father and a German mother but yet to feature for Kenya men’s national football Harambee Stars, was introduced at halftime on a joyous day at RheinEnergieStadion, playing a part in the big win for The Billy Goats, who will play in the German top-tier next season after just one season out.FC KolnEric Martel and Luca Waldschmidt scored in the first half to make it comfortable viewing for the Köln fans as they headed into half time with a 2-0 lead.The second half provided more of the same despite Waldschmidt missing a penalty in the 56th minute.Following this, goals from Florian Kainz and retiree Mark Uth on his final game rounded off a perfect performance for the hosts, whose fans stormed the pitch at the final whistle.The moment 🥹___#KOEFCK #effzeh pic.twitter.com/46TAUgOeLM— 1. FC Cologne (@fckoeln_en) May 18, 2025 The ensuing celebrations provided a chance for Maina to cause more excitement, as he took the stage on the podium to announce his contract renewal with Koln, which will see him play in the Bundesliga next season.Seventh-heaven Sofapaka deliver devastating blow to Tusker as Kenya Police march towards titleSpeaking to the whole crowd, Maina said: “Six weeks ago, I signed with a Bundesliga club that can now call itself a Bundesliga club again. “You guys are amazing. Thank you all for being here. You’re crazy,” the Berlin-born attacker added, before having some beer poured on him by his teammates.Linton Maina bleibt beim FC 🖊️✨___#effzeh pic.twitter.com/OaYoAnT2xD— 1. FC Köln (@fckoeln) May 18, 2025 Maina, 25, was expected to bring his stay at Koln to an end at the end of the 2024-2025 season, but will now get a chance to play in the Bundesliga once again, having featured in the top-tier for four seasons with Hannover 96 and his current side.Maina ended an injury-ravaged season with three goals and eleven assists.
