Richard Odada

Richard Odada (born November 25, 2000) is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga I club UTA Arad and the Kenya national team.

Club career Early career Odada played with Lasier Hill Academy as a youth player before joining Kenyan Premier League club Leopards in July 2018. While he made the first team game day roster 11 times in the 2018–19 season, he made no appearances. Later that year, his performances earned him training and trial stints in Serbia with Red Star Belgrade and Voždovac, in Switzerland, and in Italy with Juventus and Inter Milan.

Red Star Belgrade On 30 January 2019 after a successful trial, Odada joined Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade. He was initially assigned to the club's under-19 side. To later get playing time at the senior level, Odada was initially loaned to Grafičar Beograd, an affiliate club of Red Star often used for development of its younger players.

On 30 January 2020, Odada was sent on loan to Serbian First League club Grafičar Beograd. He made his debut on 29 February 2020 in a 3–0 victory against Radnički Pirot, where he played all 90 minutes. In the 2019–20 season, he played 7 matches, recording one assist in a 5–0 victory over Sinđelić Beograd on 20 June 2020. In the 2020–21 season, while remaining on loan with Grafičar Beograd through January 2021, Odada played 14 matches in the First League, during which he recorded an assist against Radnički Pirot on 30 August 2020. He also played one game in the Serbian Cup against Voždovac.

During the 2021–22 season, Odada was loaned to Metalac Gornji Milanovac in the SuperLiga. He made his debut as a starter on 19 July 2021 in a 0–0 draw against Radnik Surdulica. He went on to play 27 games, including 17 starts, during the season, in addition to one game in the Serbian Cup.

Philadelphia Union On August 8, 2022, Odada joined Philadelphia Union in a transfer from Red Star on 2.5 years contract, with an optional 2 years. He will occupy an international roster slot.

On 15 August 2023, Odada joined newly relegated Danish 1st Division club AaB on a one-year loan deal with a purchase option.

International career Youth On 17 January 2016, Odada was called into a provisional under-17 camp for Inter Government Agency Development games in advance of qualifiers for the 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

On 1 April 2018, Odada scored the lone goal in his debut for the Kenya under-20 national team in a 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations first round qualifier match against Rwanda that ended in a 1–1 draw. He also served as the team captain. Odada was a substitute in the return leg in Rwanda, a 0–0 tie which eliminated Kenya on the away goals rule.

Senior Odada made his debut for the Kenya national football team on 2 September 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Uganda. He started and played the full match in a 0–0 home draw. His national team coach, Jacob Mulee, praised Odada's debut, saying "we have had different players coming in, and new players who were making their debut. I was impressed with Odada, meaning he has solved our problem in the midfield department. He is just 20 and has a lot to offer.". His performance neutralizing the Uganda attack and replacing Victor Wanyama as Kenya's defensive midfielder also earned him accolades in the press. Odada also played World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda (a 1–1 away tie) and Mali (a 5–0 away loss and 1–0 home loss).

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Odada goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Richard OdadaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 15 November 2021 Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya 2–0 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Red Star Belgrade Serbian SuperLiga: 2020–21 Serbian Cup: 2020–21