Dennis Oliech facts for kids
Dennis Oguta Oliech (born 2 February 1985) is a former professional footballer from Kenya. He was a powerful striker known for scoring many goals. When he played for the Kenya national football team, he became the second-highest goalscorer in his country's history, with 34 goals. He stopped playing international football in 2016.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 February 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya | ||
| Height | 1.81 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998 - 2002 | Mathare United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2003 | Mathare United | (14) | |
| 2003–2005 | Al-Arabi | 47 | (27) |
| 2006–2007 | Nantes | 32 | (4) |
| 2007–2012 | Auxerre | 165 | (25) |
| 2013–2015 | Ajaccio | 50 | (8) |
| 2015 | Dubai CSC | 10 | (4) |
| 2019 | Gor Mahia | 19 | (5) |
| National team | |||
| 2002–2016 | Kenya | 76 | (34) |
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Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting Out
Dennis Oliech began his football journey with Dagoretti Santos and then Mathare United. When he was young, he had a chance to join a big French team called Marseille. However, the chairman of Mathare United, Bob Munro, decided not to let the move happen.
In 2003, Oliech became a professional player. He joined Al-Arabi in Qatar. In 2004, he was offered the chance to become a citizen of Qatar, but he chose to remain Kenyan. When he was just 19, a famous newspaper, The Guardian, named him one of the world's most promising young players. This list also included future stars like Wayne Rooney. While playing in Qatar, Oliech played alongside football legends like Stefan Effenberg and Gabriel Batistuta.
Playing for Nantes
In 2005, Dennis Oliech signed a four-year contract with a French team called Nantes. He joined them in January and was given the number nine jersey.
After joining Nantes, Oliech had a knee operation. But he quickly recovered and returned to training. He played his first game for Nantes on 11 March 2006. Three weeks later, on 1 April 2006, he scored his first goal in a cup match, helping Nantes win 1–0. He scored another goal soon after in a league game. In his first season with Nantes, Oliech played nine games and scored two goals.
The next season, 2006–07, was a bit harder for him. He scored four goals in 32 games, but he didn't always play in the starting team. Even though he wasn't playing as much, he said he was happy at the club. Unfortunately, Nantes finished last in their league and were moved down to a lower division in 2007.
Playing for Auxerre
In the summer of 2007, Oliech joined Auxerre on loan. They needed more goals for their team. After two months, he played his first game for Auxerre in a 5–3 win. In January, Auxerre signed him permanently from Nantes, and he stayed with them until 2011. In his first season with Auxerre, he scored three goals in 24 games.
In the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons, his performance wasn't as strong. But in the 2010–11 season, his manager, Jean Fernandez, gave him more chances to play, and Oliech gained more confidence. On 25 September 2010, he scored two goals in one game. He also played in the UEFA Champions League, which is a very important European competition. On 5 January 2011, he signed a new contract to stay with Auxerre until 2013. By the end of that season, Oliech had played 43 games and scored four goals.
The 2011–12 season brought a new manager, Laurent Fournier. On 25 September 2011, Oliech scored his first-ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Auxerre in a 4–1 win. He scored all three goals in just 16 minutes! Later that season, he scored two goals in two games in a row. Even though his form dropped a bit later, he was the top scorer for Auxerre that season. However, the club was moved down to a lower league again.
After the 2011–12 season, many clubs from Europe wanted to sign Oliech. He almost joined a Turkish team, but the deal didn't happen, and he returned to Auxerre. In the first half of the 2012–13 season, he scored three goals in 17 league games.
Playing for Ajaccio
In January 2013, Dennis Oliech decided to leave Auxerre after six years. He wanted a new challenge. On 22 January 2013, he joined Ajaccio, another team in France's top league. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. He was given the number 29 jersey and was very happy to score a goal in his very first game for Ajaccio, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
Playing for Dubai CSC
On 12 February 2015, Oliech ended his contract with AC Ajaccio. It was agreed by both sides. The club then said he would join Al-Nasr in the UAE. However, on 21 April 2015, it was confirmed that Oliech had actually joined Dubai CSC in the UAE Division 1 league.
Playing for Gor Mahia
On 2 January 2019, when he was 33 years old, Dennis Oliech signed a two-year contract with a big Kenyan team, Gor Mahia. He became the highest-paid footballer in Kenya at that time.
Playing for Kenya (International Career)
Dennis Oliech played his first international match for the Kenya national football team in 2002. Kenya lost 3–0 to Nigeria in that game.
He was a star at the 2002 CECAFA Cup, scoring five goals. This helped Kenya win the title, and Oliech also won the award for the top scorer in the tournament.
Oliech scored three goals, including the winning goal against Cape Verde Islands, which helped Kenya qualify for the 2004 African Cup of Nations. He also scored a goal in the tournament itself, in a 3–0 win against Burkina Faso.
On 24 March 2016, Dennis Oliech announced that he was retiring from playing international football for Kenya. Many Kenyans remember his goal against Cape Verde as his most important for the national team, as it helped the Harambee Stars qualify for the AFCON Championship in 2004. Oliech himself said that for a striker, every match is important because the goal is always to score.
Personal Life
Dennis Oliech's older brother, Nixon Onywanda, is a football coach for the Kenyan team Dagoretti Santos, which Dennis once played for. Dennis Oliech has a son and enjoys driving nice cars. In June 2011, he bought a new Chrysler 300C SRT-8 car.
Images for kids
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Dennis Oliech
Honours
Kenya
- CECAFA Cup: 2002
Individual
- CECAFA Cup Golden Boot: 2002
See also
In Spanish: Dennis Oliech para niños
