Give Him All The Spaghetti: Social Media Celebrates Tottenham Hero Wanyama

18th April 2019 - by Mutwiri Mutuota

Harambee Stars captain played a giant role in their passage to the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night at the Etihad

ottenham Hotspur's Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama (L), Tottenham Hotspur's Welsh defender Ben Davies, and Tottenham Hotspur's English midfielder Dele Alli celebrate following the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg football match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England on April 17, 2019.

SUMMARY

Handed a second successive start, Harambee Stars captain, Victor Wanyama, repaid the faith shown by his manager at Tottenham Hotspur FC, Mauricio Pochettino when he played a key role in their passage to the UEFA Champions League semis for the first time in their history
Another summed the huge role the Stars captain who scored in their 4-0 victory against relegated Huddersfield Town FC as "100% aerial duels won, 83% pass accuracy, 8 ball recoveries, 4 tackles won, 2 clearances"
The pioneer is none other than his elder brother, McDonald Mariga, who was a part of the venerated Italian Serie A treble winning Inter Milan FC team that was under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho

NAIROBI, Kenya- You can accuse Kenyans- especially those in the online community- of being glory hunters in sport but no one can begrudge the nation of feeling giddy with delight on Wednesday night as they joined the rest of the world to celebrate their gifted son.

Handed a second successive start, Harambee Stars captain, Victor Wanyama, repaid the faith shown by his manager at Tottenham Hotspur FC, Mauricio Pochettino when he played a key role in their passage to the UEFA Champions League semis for the first time in their history.

Spurs lost 3-4 at the Etihad in a modern football classic and a game of the ages that swung way then another in a pulsating 90 minutes plus added time where the Video Assistant Referee came to the prominence.

At the end of the breathless encounter, Wanyama who is proudly known by his legion of local fans as ‘Lion of Muthurwa’ left the pitch as the only second Kenyan to make the last four of Europe’s elite club competition.

"Damn somebody deliver some spaghetti to Victor Wanyama," his brother Harrison Wanyama tweeted with his famous sibling retweeting in homage to the Kenyan midfielder, immortalised by his famous “I had spaghetti and it was very nice” tweet that established himself as a firm fan favourite at White Hart Lane.

"Congratulations Victor Wanyama for your big role in Tottenham Hotspur qualification to the Champions League semi-finals, after edging out ManCity in an entertaining thriller. Nani kama wewe kijana wa Nairobi," the Governor of his home city of Nairobi hailed.

Huge role

"Congratulations to you Victor Wanyama and your team for reaching Champions League Semi Finals. What a game! Enjoy," the leader of the Majority in the Kenyan Senate and Elgeyo Marakwet County Senator, Kipchumba Murkomen, saluted.

Another summed the huge role the Stars captain who scored in their 4-0 victory against relegated Huddersfield Town FC as "100% aerial duels won, 83% pass accuracy, 8 ball recoveries, 4 tackles won, 2 clearances."

"Imagine if Spurs go on to win the Champions League. I would be bitter as a Gunner; but as a Kenyan (which takes precedence) I would be so proud of Victor Wanyama. He would become the second Kenyan and the second Wanyama to win," celebrated radio presenter, Carol Radull, offered.

"Man like like Victor! That was a classic," popular comedian, Churchill trumpeted.

"We need to speak about Victor Wanyama. First back-to-back starts for Tottenham this season tonight and he was phenomenal," the Hotspur Related twitter handle reminded everyone.

The pioneer is none other than his elder brother, McDonald Mariga, who was a part of the venerated Italian Serie A treble winning Inter Milan FC team that was under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho.

In the first-ever Champions League final to be played on a Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium- home or record winners Real Madrid CF- Inter stunned Bayern Munich 2-0 to lift the trophy.

Mariga, who had played in their stirring 3-1 victory on aggregate over FC Barcelona in the semis was an unused substitute on May 22, 2010 decider but had done enough to warrant a medal.

His younger brother who followed Pochettino from Southampton FC to Tottenham was immense in midfield against a City side that is one of the best teams in Europe, breaking up attacks from the likes of the effervescent Belgium star, Kevin de Bruyne and Portugal international Bernardo Silva.