On that floodlit Thursday night at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, things could have taken a really a bad turn for young Daniel Sakari. Kenya was playing favourites Egypt in a crucial Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) qualifier needing all the three points if they were to have any chances of making back to back appearances in the continental jamboree.In the starting lineup at right-back, there was just Sakari. He had never made an appearance in any of the first four fixtures. Leave that alone, he had never started any ‘serious’ game for Kenya, and there he was, on his birthday, thrust into the starting lineup against Egypt, supposed to mark the roaming and sprinting legs of Liverpool sensation Mohammed Salah and Aston Villa ace David Trezeguet. What then?Many had ruled him out. But after 90 minutes of bombarding runs forward, of trying to provide width down the right, of linking up brilliantly with his 1-2 play, and most importantly, of reading danger and snuffing out any potential threat as Kenya dominated a major part of the game, Sakari proved wrong all his doubters plus all reservations directed at the young man up until kick-off.“Daniel Sakari did well. For way too long we haven’t had a decent natural right back in the team. That position is his for the foreseeable future. It’s up to him to cement it,” one comment read.Good game from Daniel Sakari at right-back yesterday. I think he’s secured his place in the National team now pic.twitter.com/6rW3wvQVi4— Jeff Kinyanjui (@Nyash88) March 26, 2021 “Daniel Sakari proved me wrong. Kid did well. If he maintains that output, the right-back position is his to lose,” read another.Thinking about it, the Harambee Stars defender ranks up the night as one that, by far, ranks up with the best he has experienced.“My best experience without a shadow of a doubt is the game against Egypt. Playing against the likes of Mohammed Salah and David Trezeguet was an experience I cannot let go of easily. We were in a pressure situation because we needed a win and the game happened to be on my birthday, I just went out there and had fun beyond measure. It meant so much,” Sakari reveals.Kenya 1-1 Egypt; Notes1: Suprised by the performance? No. Results? Yes. 2: Daniel Sakari proved me wrong. Kid did well. If he maintains that output, the right back position is his to lose. Happy birthday Maseno School Old Boy. #HaramberStars pic.twitter.com/fKFZ4glgeB— Zachary Oguda (@zaxoguda) March 25, 2021 As far as normal paths went, a player was always expected to rise through the ranks. To go from the junior national teams all the way to the senior side. For Sakari, that was never the case. The Kariobangi Sharks player never featured in any junior side, but at the end of the 2022 AFCON qualifiers where Kenya failed to progress after finishing third, the youngster left with the right-back position in his pocket, secured. This is his story.As a form three student at the Maseno School, Kariobangi Sharks right-back Daniel Sakari was a nobody. In fact, he was not even a serious football player. Aside from being just a normal student draped in the green and gray colours of the prestigious national school, there was not much Sakari thought he could offer. Buoyed by dreams of chasing a career in Electrical Engineering or being a pilot back then, the young Shark batted away any thoughts of being a full-time professional on the turf.“I started playing serious football when I think I was in form four. When we were kids, it was just playing for fun and I never thought I would pursue football professionally. But it started getting serious in the regional interschool competitions where after joining the school team, I became a regular feature. That point, plus campus is where the real journey started,” the player tells Mozzart Sport.RiseDaniel Sakari as a Green Commando in 2018 National Super League.How did you rate his performance at Right-Back out against Egypt?#footke pic.twitter.com/vgoD0hXTHj— Footballers Of Our Time (@TransferMarktEA) March 25, 2021 After finishing his post-primary education, Sakari, who scored A-(minus) in his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) went on to join Masinde Muliro University for a degree course in Bachelor of Science (Mathematics). Little did he know that what took him there would be far from actually what he would practice. With local teams and football fields being in close proximity to school, Sakari quickly found his footing and established himself in the school’s football team, a place that would kick start the journey of transitioning into a football player and putting aside the white-collar dreams.“Campus is where I got a lot of game time under my belt. Straight from first year I played in the Kenya University Sports Association (KUSA) League matches. By the time I was in third year, Green Commandos got promoted from Division One into the National Super League (NSL). Now, the club needed to do trials for new players as those who had helped the team gain promotion, players such as James Mazembe (Sharks), Yusuf Mainge (AFC Leopards), had left the club to join top-flight teams. At the back of my mind, I went for trials because I knew that would just be a place for having fun as I study as it was not far from campus,” the player reveals.As fate would have it, Sakari was selected and after testing himself out in the country’s second-tier for one season where he played all but three games the entire campaign – two because of school work and one through injury – coach Eliud Omukuya, impressed with his ability and talent, referred him to top-flight side Kakamega Homeboyz where he signed his first professional contract and given his first signing fee, a whooping KSh. 25,000.Daniel Sakari has joined us from Kakamega Homeboyz. Position: Right-back Strong foot: Right Speed ✅Delivery ✅Composure ✅ pic.twitter.com/uknILgi1jM— Kariobangi Sharks FC (@k_sharksfc) July 19, 2019 For a mere comrade, the sign on fee blew Sakari out of his mind. And like a typical Kenyan comrade, he did what varsity students do best.“I was given KSh. 25,000 sign-on fee after signing a two-year contract and I could not believe it. I was untouchable! Upon receiving that money, I went straight and bought myself top of the shelf sound system among other things,” Sakari reminisces.After having his fair share of fun with the money he got after earning his move, it was time to get down to business, in the top flight for that matter.“After just around two months of staying with Homeboyz, head coach Fred Nkata slotted me straight in the first game of the 2018/2019 season which was against KCB at Bukhungu Stadium. In a way, Nkata really believed in me from the get-go. And so a day before the fixture, the coach told me that I would be making my debut. I was so tense. I had never played in the top flight and there I was, supposed to ensure Simon Munala Abuko goes quiet. All that kept crossing my mind in the first ten minutes was pure pressure and tension. What if I make a mistake? What if I score an own goal? That was all I was thinking of. But after the few minutes I just went back to basics – control, pass, control, pass. That helped me settled in the game that we ended up winning 1-0,” the player recounts.👏|In 2019.Daniel Sakari did this to @isuza_whyvonne 😂😂@KHomeboyz vs @AFCLeopards#BKPLpic.twitter.com/q8ImExeCC0— FKF Premier League (@Officialfkfpl) April 22, 2021 Even after head coach Nkata left Homeboyz after match fixing allegations and current coach Nicholas Muyoti brought in to replace him, Sakari continued enjoying playing time under the new coach who also showed a great amount of trust in his potential.By the time the 2018/2019 season was coming to an end, Sakari, who was then in fourth year, was also finishing his varsity education. Attachment placement needed the former Green Commando to work in Nairobi and as such, that would be the beginning of the end for his stay at Homeboyz. Unable to juggle between playing in Kakamega and working in Nairobi, Sakari decided to listen to offers as teams were already on his trail.“At the start, I was almost joining Wazito, who had just gained promotion to the top tier, but the deal fell through. I ended up signing with Sharks on June 19 2019, a week after they played with Everton,” he says.Kariobangi Sharks and Harambee Stars defender Daniel Sakari has been nominated in the Most Promising Boy category of the upcoming Safaricom SOYA Awards.Winners in this category will be selected by a panel of judges pic.twitter.com/tozuZGPE56— Football Kenya Federation (@Football_Kenya) January 16, 2020 This time though, after signing, Sakari did not waste away his upkeep on buying a sound system. Although he did not say what he did with the money, I suspect he grew up and realized he was not a comrade anymore. The player, an applied mathematics and statistics degree holder, then went ahead to break from football as he did a three-month attachment requirement at the National Bank of Kenya. Just after the internship, Sakari made a vow with himself and his father.“After finishing, I decided to go back football. Since everything was playing out nicely, I made a vow. I told my father that I would go back to playing football and if in the next three or four seasons I would still be in Kenya, I would just go back to focusing on my books. That period is when we started seeing our players like Michael Olunga and Victor Wanyama making big career moves. That acted as a big motivation to me and I started even pushing harder to pursue this dream,” the player remarks.Although phone calls came in immediately after the Egypt game inquiring about his signature, Sakari reveals that veteran goalkeeper Arnold Origi implored him to take his time, because, in the current world, agents are not really interested in what the player wants but rather after their own cut. Still, the former Green Commando has never stopped dreaming of chasing after his dreams.“Every day when I go to training, I go there knowing what I want from this game and where I want to play. For me all I want is to play outside the country and that alone serves as motivation enough to make me push to the extra mile. Right now, I would say I am on the right course because I see myself making it.” 🔥| @harambee__stars and @k_sharksfc Fullback Daniel Sakari,when he Scored a screamer against @wazitofc Future star 🔥🔥#BKPL pic.twitter.com/IvC19mfSOk— FKF Premier League (@Officialfkfpl) April 6, 2021 Interestingly, the same zeal that Sakari shows in his football career, is the same determination that he shows off it. In his love life, Sakari has dated only one girl whom they have dated with since form one after meeting in an English contest in school. They have a small boy, Salva Sakari – named after Spanish Salva Sevilla – whom he hopes would one day follow in his footsteps.In his final remarks, Sakari just has a word for the upcoming generation.“I’m just a humble and patient guy who believes in destiny. One thing that I know right now is that everyone is talented, only the hard work is the differentiating factor. This journey is not simple, it is rough. Just the same way life has its ups and downs, not everything will go your way. If that happens, you just get up, dust yourself and forge ahead. There is no giving up, you just have to pick yourself up and keep keeping on because it is not easy. There are a lot of setbacks. The most important thing is not to forget God,” the player concludes.ProfilePrimary School – Milo Central Academy (414 marks)Secondary School – Maseno School (A- minus)University Education – Masinde Muliro UniversityFirst Club – Green CommandosSecond Club – Kakamega HomeboyzThird Club – Kariobangi SharksBest Partnership – George Odhiambo, Kennedy Onyango, Festus OkiringToughest Challenger – Moses MudavadiRole Model – Dani Alves
