Former Player of the Year Odhiambo has rediscovered his form once again after an unsuccessful stint in Europe

Winger’s football career has seen him rise, fall and then rise again.

In November 2010, Gor Mahia FC winger George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo had the world dancing at   his feet.

At the time, the teenager who had a month to go before turning 18, was ranked among the top 100 global talents to watch having just been crowned the 2010 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) Player of the Year.

Although K’Ogalo fell short of lifting the coveted KPL title, losing agonisingly to Ulinzi Stars, Odhiambo simply blew the competition apart, establishing himself as the ‘Main Man’ of Kenyan football.

Gor fans nicknamed him ‘Blackberry’ after the device that is no longer in production, but is regarded one of the most sophisticated smartphones of the modern era, just as his style of play in his heyday.

Best player in 2010

“I’m very happy. Hard work pays and this is not the end. I dedicate this to my parents back in Kisumu and Gor Mahia fans who have been great supporters," said after receiving the highest honour at the 2010 Footballer of the Year Awards.

“Even if I leave the club, they will remain special to me,” said Odhiambo, who   top scored for Gor with eight goals to his name.

His mesmerising strikes against Posta Rangers and Ulinzi, where he slalomed past opposition defenders as if they were training cones remain etched in the minds of those who had the fortune of witnessing them.

Amid intense speculation about his future, Danish top-flight side Randers FC  signed him up in what many believed was a stepping stone to bigger clubs in Europe.

However, to the dismay of many local football fans, it all unravelled for the player.  

“In January 2011 Randers and George Odhiambo entered into a five-year contract. In the past year, however, the Kenyan found it difficult to settle in Denmark," the Danish club posted on their website when they released the player in April 2012.

“In this regard Randers have now met George Odhiambo’s desire to terminate the contract,” the statement elaborated 

When switching off the ‘Blackberry’, Randers offered a withering assessment of the player.

“Despite this, he has not worked his way up through the hierarchy, he attacked the club for not getting the playing time that both parties had expected and desired,” the statement added after Odhiambo played in only two league games in the 15 months he was at the club.

‘Blackberry’ had sadly, become the latest victim of the KPL Player of the Year ‘curse’, following in the footsteps of former Mathare United FC striker Michael Ouma (2008) and another winger, Kevin Kimani (2009) who failed to make an impact in Europe after leaving Kenya as the finest in the land.

And the nightmare was not yet over. His exit from Randers  was quickly followed by unceremonious stints at Kuopion Palloseura of Finland, Azam FC of Tanzania, FC Shirak and Ulisses FC of Albania.

With his tail between the legs, Odhiambo made a low-key return home a washed-up star before finding a route back to Gor in 2014 following a stint at Nairobi City Stars FC the previous season. However, the former darling of the crowd did not automatically return to the K’Ogalo first 11, being mostly used as an impact substitute or as cover to injured regulars as they went on to defend the title.

Towards the end of last season, Brazilian head coach, Jose Marcelo ‘Ze Maria’ Ferreira started showing more faith in the player and soon, Odhiambo started showing echoes of his past majesty, but the club once again fell short of KPL glory when they were dethroned by Tusker FC.

Come 2017, Odhiambo, who remarkably is still 24 although it seems as if he has been round the block for ages, exploded to form that not only won him a return to national team, Harambee Stars, but crucially, helped his side reclaim the domestic title.

The resurgence of Odhiambo, or as some wag put it— the ‘Blackberry’ has found network again— completed the story of one of most stirring comebacks local sport has witnessed in recent times.

“I’m proud of my team for winning the title and now we have to maintain the focus we have had all through," Odhiambo remarked after playing a key role in Gor’s march to their 16th national crown.

“It was not easy to win the league. Every team wanted it but our determination and teamwork edged them all, for that we are very pleased with our efforts.”

“Many people have said a lot of things but I chose to focus on my career and work extremely hard," Odhiambo  said.

“In football, you never know what will happen, I chose to work hard and that has improved my game,” the soft-spoken ‘Blackberry’ added after being written off  before his Prodigal Son’s return to Gor proved to be the catalyst of a career revival.

Although he has not scaled the heights of 2010, Odhiambo is once again attracting interest of several clubs locally and overseas with his current Gor deal set to expire on November 31.

Unlike 2010, the player is in no rush to push for a move or a new contract at Gor, opting to keep his cards close to his chest.

“My contract expires this season and we have not yet opened talks for renewal but I am still a Gor player, I’m just waiting to see how it all plays out,” he said after receiving the SportPesa/SJAK Player of the Month Award for August on October 26.

That was the month when Odhiambo, who won the favour of Ze Maria’s successor, Dylan Kerr, came to his own, scoring twice and claiming three assists as rampant Gor  secured 13 out of a possible 15 points to lay a solid platform for their title charge.

Stars head coach Stanley Okumbi recalled Odhiambo to the national team  for friendlies against Mauritania and Mozambique.

“It feels great to get an opportunity to play for the national team again. I know it is a big step since I have been out in the cold for a long time.

 “I want to work hard both for the national team and my club, I want to make good use of this opportunity,” Odhiambo said.

 With lessons learned from past mistakes and the best years of his football still ahead of him, the rise and fall and rise again of Odhiambo serves as an example to young players in the KPL.

Once accused of being money-hungry and lazy, Odhiambo was on the throes of being another sorry footnote in Kenyan football until he knuckled down and worked his socks off to reclaim his shine.

“Slowly the feeling of better things ahead is coming back.   I want to be part of the team that makes history,”  said Odhiambo.