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The Kenyan striker has enjoyed a prolific season that has seen him outscore the likes of Mbappe, Salah and Messi
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga is still reveling in what has been a hugely successful season in Qatar with Al-Duhail, having ended the campaign with three trophies while scoring an astonishing 43 goals in all competitions.
These are numbers only witnessed from the very best and the Al-Duhail striker put his name among the elite, even if Qatar is not considered among the top footballing countries in the world.
To put it in perspective, Olunga’s goal haul is only bettered by Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland who has bagged 51 across all competitions in his debut season with the Cityzens while the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and even the great Lionel Messi not even coming close.
Olunga bagged the Golden Boot Award for a second straight season after netting 22 goals in the Qatar Stars League, two less than he managed in the division last term, but he ended the season as champion, winning his maiden league crown since joining Al-Duhail in 2021.
The 29-year-old would score 21 further goals in cup games. He managed 10 in seven matches in the Ooredoo Cup to emerge the top scorer as Al-Duhail claimed the crown before netting two in the Qatar Cup in as many matches.
Five more goals arrived in three matches in the Emir Cup plus four strikes in six games in the FIFA Referees Cup, a competition used to get match officials in good shape before the 2022 World Cup, which Qatar hosted.
By contrast, Haaland has managed 35 in the Premier League, 12 in the Champions League, three in the FA Cup and one in the Carabao Cup although unlike Olunga, whose season is over, he has a chance to add onto his numbers given City still have six, potentially seven, matches before they complete their campaign.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe, meanwhile, has 24 in the French League, seven in the Champions League and five in the Coupe de France to take his tally to 36 with four games still to play, while Salah has 30, 19 in the Premier League, eight in the Champions League with three more from cup games.
While Mbappe and Salah still have games left, the fact that Olunga has outscored them shows just how good he has been in 2022-23, never mind the level of competition, and these are numbers that could see a host of top European sides circle around for his services.
Olunga has been the most prolific striker in Qatar since joining Al-Duhail from Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol in January 2021, scoring 95 goals in 94 matches across six different competitions.
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