Miya comes full circle for Cranes
Miya aims to shoot during yesterday’s match at Namboole. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
KAMPALA. What two years can do! Just two years ago, Farouk Miya was making his debut in a Uganda Cranes jersey and equally getting disapproval from a section of the media and fans.
Most never rated Miya, claiming he was only Micho Sredojevic’s blue eyed-boy but with hardly any substance to his game. The youngster, in his virgin 20s, never minded, going about his business at Vipers and Cranes, his coach, too, sticking to what he had seen in Miya.
Miya was to go on a run, scoring in the 3-0 friendly win over Ethiopia later in 2014 before enjoying a fine 2015.
Last year alone, he scored a goal in Uganda’s 1-0 away friendly win in Nigeria and netted three goals in the 4-1 aggregate victory in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He also captained the Ugandan Chan team to the finals in Rwanda, but having also scored 11 goals to lead Vipers to the 2015 league title, he had done enough to turn heads in Europe.
Belgium move
Not even an injury during Chan would short-change Belgium’s Standard Liege, who went ahead with their deal and had the boy on six-month loan before handing him a three-year deal. He has already scored for his new employers, but the one will have deliriously celebrated both in Belgium and Uganda was the one at Namboole last night. And he was not just about the goal. He initiated moves, beat his men, and forced the visitors into mistakes. More than anything, he boasts of untold courage, untold desire.
That Miya has fast made himself the Cranes go-to man is slowly ceasing to be a debate. He clearly is not a finished article but definitely Cranes silver lining for now. And perhaps years to come.
MIYA’S FEATS
- Scoring goal that took Uganda to the Nations Cup
- Captaining the Cranes to Chan 2016
- Scoring three goals against Togo in WC qualifiers
- 2015 Cecafa title
- 2015 Uganda Premier League title
- Copa Coca Cola titles in 2012 and 2013 with St Mary’s Kitende
- Scored on his national team debut, a friendly against Seychelles
- Most notable friendly goal was in the 1-0 friendly win in Nigeria
