Tusker's Odoyo relishing Harambee Stars call-up

Tusker FC's David Odoyo is still relishing his maiden call-up by coach Engin Firat to the Harambee Stars earlier this week.

Odoyo says he will give his best to reward the confidence Firat has shown in him, if given a chance against Cameroon in this month's African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Odoyo, who joined the Brewers last season, says the call-up is a result of hard this season.

“It’s a dream come true, every player has a dream of playing for their national team. Having given my best in the last four outings this season, here are the results and I would really love to thank Firat [Engin] and his technical bench for giving me this chance,” Odoyo told Citizen Digital.

“Honestly I was not surprised, I knew that one day it would come, it was just a matter of time. It is very important because it exposes you to clubs abroad. I hope through this call up, I can take the next big step in my career,” the former Kakamega High School midfielder added.

The combative midfielder fondly knowns as 'daddy' amongst his peers and who draws inspiration from Anthony ‘Teddy’ Akumu, has meanwhile revealed that his teammate Chris Erambo, now a Harambee Stars regular, has been influential in fuelling his national team dream.

Erambo, 19, was first named in the final squad that won the Four Nations Tournament in April, in Malawi.

“Playing with him has brought the best out of me. We have had solid partnership and his experience in the national team has helped us build a good relationship. He keeps on pushing me and I can attribute this call-up to him," acknowledged Odoyo.

“His words of encouragement have always kept me going and my biggest hope is to someday play alongside him in the national team. The same way John ‘Mo’ Muiruri and Robert Mambo did, they played alongside each other at Tusker and at Harambee Stars. Later, doors opened for them and they left for Europe together,” he added.

The squad was expected in camp on Friday ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) double header qualifier against Cameroon in Douala and Kampala, on October 11 and 15 respectively.

“When playing at the top level, it gives you 50% then you work hard for the remaining bit,” he explained.

"It is definitely a big challenge, but at the same time, I'm motivated to work harder to make the final squad. I just need to keep working hard, play my game and remain committed to the mission," further noted Odoyo.

Harambee Stars tops group J with four points, from two rounds of matches after drawing 0-0 with Zimbabwe at 'home' before beating Namibia 2 - 1 away in South Africa. 

Two top teams will qualify for next year’s showpiece that will be held in Morocco.