Kenya’s international midfield sensation, MacDonald Mariga, who turns out for the Italian side Parma, has hinted that wedding bells could be in the offing.
Mariga, who has a daughter aged three years and five months spoke to The Nairobian enroute to the Maasai Mara with family and friends to witness the great wildebeest migration.
The dotting father, accompanied by his little girl, was in the company of brother Mugubi and fellow Europe-based footballer, Dennis Oluoch. Others in the entourage included their parents as well as Christopher, Thomas, Harry, Cynthia, Mercy and Patricia and other close relatives and friends.
Not now but soon
Though he wasn’t willing to divulge details of the his daughter’s mother, he assured The Nairobian that he would soon give a comprehensive interview on the matter, confirming that marriage wasn’t far off in the horizon.
“Not now, but soon. I can’t tell you exactly when at the moment, but it will be soon. It’s every family’s joy to see one of their own get married,” said the footballer when pressed for details.
As a talented athlete and celeb, the midfielder draws lots of interest from gossip writers and blogs regarding his love life, but says it’s not a problem because his father taught him how to handle groupies.
“I was brought up by a father who was also a footballer, and who went through the same experience. So, he taught me how to handle girls who throw themselves at people they consider ‘stars’,” he says. “Sometimes I also walk around with my sister and people mistake her for my girlfriend. It helps me keep the ladies away,” he said laughing.
Tough dad
Indeed, like tennis greats, Venus and Serena Williams, Mariga and Victor Mugubi, were brought by a very strict dad.
Right from the word go, they were raised to be stars by parents who nurtured their talents and encouraged them to strut their stuff at the highest level in their chosen sports. It is no fluke either that their young sister Mercy is said to be on her way to becoming a professional basketball player in the USA.
His father, Noah Wanyama, is a former AFC Leopards player and was a dependable left back for Harambee Stars, while the mother was an accomplished netball star in her days. Mariga’ dad reminisces on his golden days as a footballer: “I played football for 10 years with the national team, wachana na hawa wenye wanakua kwa reserve team kila mara hapa na bado wanasema wako kwa team.
I was an outstanding player and I have lived to appreciate football as a sport and a well-paying profession.”
Very disciplined
Describing himself as ‘a quiet and simple man without complications’, he says he is happy those traits have been replicated in his children, whom he describes as “very disciplined”. Mariga adds that their parents not only brought them up as brothers and sisters, but as friends as well. “Victor is my brother, but we are also very close friends,” explains the ex-Inter Milan player.
Wedding Bells For Soccer Player Macdonald Mariga
