Osman, Pienaar: The Key Lessons From Everton Greats Of A Successful Era
4th July 2019
Club ambassadors and heroes who are touring Kenya for the Sharks showdown remain model examples for locals talent hoping to make it big in football
- Now installed as club ambassadors, they have spent much of their post-professional careers involved in activities aimed at promoting Everton to a global audience especially in East Africa where the nine-time English league winners have left an enduring mark since partnering with technology and entertainment business, SportPesa
- Osman, who was capped by the England Three Lions squad three times and made 352 appearances for Everton, weighing in with 43 goals from midfield has done his homework on Sharks, admitting that they are a good side and is confident that everyone is in for an exhilarating game come Sunday
- It was this love that Osman and Pienaar fed from to excel at the club that Sharks who were founded in 2000, can draw lessons on how to continue their meteoric rise from the slums to international prominence
NAIROBI, Kenya- They are two of the players synonymous with establishing Everton FC as a force in the English Premier League (EPL), marshaling a talented midfield that saw the team play in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League as well as the UEFA Cup (2007-08, 2008-09) and its successor, the UEFA Europa League in 2009-10.
Leon Osman (2000-16) and Steven Piennar (2007-2011, 2012-16) ended their careers at Goodison Park as icons of a period where Everton- one of the oldest clubs in England and one of the founders of the EPL- became a respected global brand, earning fans from far and beyond their roots in Liverpool.
Now installed as club ambassadors, they have spent much of their post-professional careers involved in activities aimed at promoting Everton to a global audience especially in East Africa where the nine-time English league winners have left an enduring mark since partnering with technology and entertainment business, SportPesa.
Osman and Pienaar arrived in Nairobi on separate flights on Wednesday as part of the landmark occasion that will see the team where they rose to worldwide acclaim play 2019 SportPesa Cup champions, Kariobangi Sharks FC in Nairobi on Sunday is what is expected to be a sell-out at the 60,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani Stadium.
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Their presence in a country far removed from the glitz and glamour of EPL and European football is meant to inspire millions of local youth who see them as model examples, after all, Kenya is one of the countries in Africa where the English top flight is followed like a religion.
On Thursday morning, the two offered their thoughts on the Sharks versus Everton game that has sent pulses racing in the East African nation that is healing from the heartbreak of exiting the Egypt 2019 CAF Africa Cup of Nations at the preliminary round two days ago.
This will be the second time the nine-time English league winners will be touring Africa following their critically acclaimed trip to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in July 2017 where they took on SportPesa Premier League (SPL) champions Gor Mahia FC at the National Main Stadium.
Equally celebrated
For Osman, it will mark the first time since November 2017 when he visited Kenya to launch the equally celebrated Kits for Africa initiative that has revived hopes for local grassroots football teams by gifting them donated uniform from SportPesa partners from Europe.
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Pienaar on the other hand witnessed Sharks beat domestic rivals, Bandari FC 1-0 in Dar on January 27, 2019 to earn the right to host Everton in Nairobi and the two former teammates could not hide their delight of being part of a venture that is changing the landscape of East African football.
Osman, who was capped by the England Three Lions squad three times and made 352 appearances for Everton, weighing in with 43 goals from midfield has done his homework on Sharks, admitting that they are a good side and is confident that everyone is in for an exhilarating game come Sunday.
"I've seen what they can do and it's no debate that they are a good side having earned the right to play against our blues. It's gonna be a tough one and a great physical test for our players, I believe we will win 2-1 though.
"At least that's what I'm hoping for," the ex-midfielder who was born in Wigan on May 17, 1981 and traces his African roots by being of Somali descent through his grandfather told SportPesa News.
Having watched Sharks first hand, Pienaar who was also involved in television punditry duties during the 2019 SportPesa Cup decider in Dar has also identified which Sharks man could cause trouble for manager Marco Silva and his charges who are due to arrive in Nairobi on Saturday.
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"Abuya was a top player and he's the one I would be wary of. Though just like Leon said, I think it's going to end 2-1 in our favour. All fans should savour this historic moment for African football.
Everton FC icons, Leon Osman (foreground) and Steven Pienaar walk into the head quarters of technology and entertainment business, SportPesa on Thursday, June 5, 2019. PHOTO/SPN
"It's a big deal that an EPL team is coming to play a game in Kenya and we thank SportPesa for such a great initiative," Pienaar underscored in giving a nod to fellow creative midfielder and Sharks star, Duke Abuya.
Pienaar, 37, who remains the last South African to play in the EPL, also hailed Harambee Stars captain, Victor Wanyama who plays for his former side Tottenham Hotspur FC for proving that Kenya has talent to play at the highest level of the game.
"The secret is to start developing talent at a young age and if that is the basis then the opportunities are endless. There is plenty of talent here and with the proper development I'm sure that there will be another Wanyama in the Premier League," the former Bafana Bafana captain who played for his nation of birth at the 2002 and their home 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments underscored.
Despite the gulf in class between the two teams on show on Sunday, Pienaar- the Everton player of the year for the 2009-10 season- urged Sharks not to be fazed by the challenge posed by the Blues when they line up at the amphitheater of Kenyan football.
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"They should go into the pitch with the aim of enjoying the game because you never know who will be watching," he advised, hinting to the Sharks players of the possible presence of scouts from Europe who may be in attendance in a talent hunt.
Large numbers
The Everton team is set to jet into the country on Saturday morning ahead of the first official 2019/10 pre-season fixture and Osman reiterated it was an occasion not to be missed by local football lovers who have yearned to watch world class football at their door step.
"We're all looking forward to the match and I'm sure the mood around the country on Sunday will be perfect to fit the occasion. There's a few things we are doing here before the game and that's something we are excited about as well.
"Sunday marks a moment in history for our club and the Kenyan football scene as a whole, I can't wait," Osman gushed.
After their AFCON run that reignited football passion countrywide, Kenyan supporters who were left yearning for more have another big event where their domestic talent will be on show to celebrate and a spirited performances from Sharks will go a long way in cementing their place as one of the emerging powers of the local game.
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Founded in as St Domingo FC in 1878, Everton are famous for taking large numbers away from home both domestically and in European fixtures. The club implements a loyalty points scheme offering the first opportunity to purchase away tickets to season ticket holders who have attended the most away matches.
Everton often sell out the full allocation in away grounds, and tickets sell particularly well for North West England away matches.
In October 2009, Everton took 7,000 travelling fans to Benfica, which was their largest ever away crowd in Europe since the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup Final and already, some 200 will make the trip to watch Sharks in Nairobi.
It was this love that Osman and Pienaar fed from to excel at the club that Sharks who were founded in 2000, can draw lessons on how to continue their meteoric rise from the slums to international prominence.
Everton are then scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Monaco and a friendly against Wigan Athletic FC is also on the cards as they continue to prepare for the start of the league in August.
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Everton FC icons, Leon Osman (left) and Steven Pienaar (right) pose for a selfie with a Customer Service Executive at technology and entertainment business, SportPesa head quarters on Thursday, June 5, 2019. PHOTO/SPN