Michael Olunga scales high for more award

Harambee Stars striker Michael Olunga. [Courtesy]

Before the dust settled down following an imperial Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League campaign, Kenyan international Michael Ogada Olunga was nominated for Goal of Tournament.

The former Gor Mahia forward recently bagged the Champions League Golden boot after scoring nine goals despite Al Duhail exiting the tournament in the Group.

The towering Harambee Stars captain grabbed his eighth goal of the new campaign to help his side secure a comfortable win at home. Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal lifted the trophy for the fourth time in a row.

 “Happy to be named October/November QSL player of the month. A big thank you to all who played a role in helping me achieve this feat. Above all God almighty for his grace and being my pillar of strength,’’ tweeted Olunga.

The Al Duhail forward will be up against nine other players in the goal of the tournament award.

The 27-year-old Olunga’s free-kick against Al Ahli Saudi that was drilled hard and low from just the edge of the box earned a place in the Goal of the Tournament award.

The centre forward netted nine goals in the 40-team tournament held between April 14 and November 23 this year. All his goals came in Group “C” of the West Region held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Olunga will battle it out with Baghdad Bounedjah, and Andre Ayew and they are all top scorers in the Qatari league.

Others are Mali's Cheick Tidiane Diabaté and Yohan Boli. Olunga has netted eight goals since the season kicked off from three appearances and raked in 224 minutes.

 Algeria’s Baghdad Bounedjah, who assisted his side win the Africa Cup of Nations, has been reigning over the Qatari scoring charts for several seasons.

Bounedjah joined Al Sadd 6 years ago. In Qatar Stars League, he boasts 128 goals in 108 matches. Two seasons ago, his 39-goal tally in a single season earned him the title of top scorer.

Mali's Tidiane Diabaté, who has 9 goals for Al Gharafa SC in 9 appearances while Yohan Boli is the Ivorian striker who features for Qatar Stars League side Al Rayyan.

To vote for Olunga, one needs to visit the AFC official portal and click on his name with voting set to be closed on Friday 10 December at 8 PM.

Ghana's captain Andre Ayew who has already bagged 7 goals in nine games for Al Sadd, despite only completing his move to Qatar at the end of July is another serious contender. Nasser Al Dawsari's goal against Pohang Steelers and Lee Dong-gyeong's goal against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are also among those lined up to contest.

Nasser Al Dawsari, 22-year-old is a Saudi Arabian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Al Hilal while 24 years old Lee Dong-gyeong from South Korean football midfielder plays for Ulsan Hyundai and the South Korea national team.