Jimmy Kirunda is undoubtedly Uganda’s best ever footballer

Jimmy Kizza Kirunda carved out a career as the most complete player in the history of Ugandan football.

Predominantly a sweeper, Kirunda excelled in virtually all positions on the pitch during his illustrious 20-year career. Over the years, so much has been said about who Uganda’s best ever footballer is. From Phillip Omondi, Majid Musisi, and most recently, Dennis Onyango, the debate has raged on.

Few, mainly from the older generation that watched football in the 1970s and 1980s, actually recognize how big Kirunda was in Ugandan football. First of all, Kirunda won all there was in domestic football before coming so close to conquering the continent.

But beyond his exploits on the pitch that earned him enormous respect from players, officials, and fans, Kirunda lived an unequalled life that had everything revolve around him. Kirunda’s mentor Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, the former club manager and coach, groomed him to be the leader right from an early age.

To be Uganda’s best ever footballer, one must have been a force to reckon with in national team colours. That is exactly what Kirunda was during his hey-day.

**A ROCK IN UGANDA CRANES **

From the time the national team coach Burkhard Pape first summoned Kirunda to The Cranes back in 1969, aged 19, it became evident there was something special about him. His impact was immediately felt as Uganda won back-to-back Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup titles in 1969 and 1970.

This was not achieved by Kirunda merely being a by-stander. Kirunda cemented his place as a rock in Cranes’ defence. He thrived as a leader of the popular back four, developing an instinctive understanding with his centre- back partner Ahmed Doka and full-backs Edward Ssemwanga and Joseph Onziga and later Ashe Mukasa.

Meanwhile, it was Kirunda who advised Doka to switch from midfield to centre-back at the time. Kirunda did the same for Ashe Mukasa, whom he coerced to shift from being a left winger to becoming a formidable left-back.

That alone, proved just how much Kirunda was respected by his peers. It would be hard to pick a Ugandan footballer that was more inspirational. Later on in his career, he advised Paul Hasule to move from being a forward player to becoming another of the most outstanding defenders Uganda has ever had.

Because of Kirunda’s influence, all the national team coaches usually first had a word with Kirunda before selecting the team. His impact- saw the Uganda Cranes win the 1973 Cecafa Cup in Kampala, before Kirunda helped Uganda qualify for the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations.

In that same year, then Cranes coach, Westhoff Otto, who succeeded Pape, appointed Kirunda captain, a role he held until 1984. By then, Kirunda was 24. It was Kirunda’s discipline that held him in good stead, earning him the respect of his coaches.

It was hard to look past him as a natural leader. At 26, Kirunda helped The Cranes qualify for the 1976 Afcon, before following this up with Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup success in 1976 and 1977. But it was not simply about wearing the arm-band for Kirunda.

He led from the front. He scored the only goal that guided Uganda past Ethiopia in the decisive game. Kirunda’s goal ensured The Cranes qualified for the 1978 Afcon. At the tournament itself, Kirunda’s leadership was a key factor in enabling The Cranes finishing as runners-up in the tournament.

This had a lot to do with how well Uganda defended in that tournament. One key aspect actually sums up Kirunda’s glorious career as a standout figure; throughout his playing career, he only received one yellow card.

Not only was he a steady footballer, but a clean one too. But more outstandingly, the fact that Kirunda remains Uganda’s longest serving skipper, a period in which he won several Cecafa titles and featured in three Afcon tournaments, is clearly a record hard to match.

**OUTSTANDING CLUB CAREER **

To appreciate how great Kirunda was as a footballer, one cannot overlook his club career and how it contributed to making him Uganda’s greatest ever football player. In 1971, he joined KCCA FC from Express FC aged 21 while the club was in the second division.

But by then, he had earned the right to choose which position he played on the field. That was almost unheard of before, because Bidandi always preferred to have players that established themselves in a specific position.

In fact, because of Kirunda’s status, some players felt he was given preferential treatment. But to be honest, there was hardly any weakness to point out in his game. The timing of his tackles, his reading of the game and his aerial presence made him a difficult opponent.

On the pitch, he scored goals with reckless abandon and was often the difference between KCCA and the many titles won. In 1978, he helped KCCA win the Cecafa Cup in Kampala and in the same season, he made history when he turned into a striker and scored 32 league goals – a record which stood for 22 years until 1999 when Andrew Mukasa broke it with 45 goals.

This only went further to highlight Kirunda’s unique versatility and amazing talent. How a defender could be shifted to lead his team’s attack and he executes the job to great effect, was a fairytale story. For the record, Kirunda never took penalties. All his goals came from headers, shooting from distance, and free kicks.

**UGANDA’S BEST AND NOT KCCA FC’S BEST? **

After spelling it out in my column last week that Moses Nsereko was KCCA FC’s greatest footballer of all time, some may be wondering how Kirunda can be Uganda’s best, yet not the best for KCCA, where he played for the biggest part of his career.

While it sounds controversial and confusing, there are reasons to explain it. At the end of the 1981 season, Kirunda felt his influence on the pitch in KCCA was being undermined. He chose to walk away and joined SC Villa.

He wanted to prove a point, although this changed the trajectory of his career for good. It was abominable that the person being groomed to take over the club in future, had left for a bitter rival.

Worse still, Kirunda helped Villa win their first league title in 1982 without losing a single game. He was also the club’s top-scorer with eight goals, then. It was a feat that saw Kirunda being voted the sports personality of the year by the Uganda Sports Press Association.

However, the fact that Kirunda could inspire SC Villa also, backs him up as Uganda’s best player. Such was the man’s quality to inspire success, and undoubtedly Uganda’s best footballer ever!

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