Denis Onyango is being earmarked for a future coaching role within the Uganda national team setup, according to head coach Paul Put, who has lauded the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper for his enduring impact in Ugandan football, having convinced him to end his international retirement.
The 40-year-old Onyango hasn’t featured for club side Sundowns since May, but Put has explained the veteran’s inclusion in the Cranes’ Africa Cup of Nations squad, revealing that the federation see the legendary keeper as a big part of the national team’s future, as well as its past.
“Bringing Denis with us is for a certain vision of the future, because he’s not wearing the captain’s armband, but he is the captain in the dressing room,” coach Put told ESPN on Friday. “He’s a player who is respected by all of the players, who can communicate with the group, motivate the group, and do a little bit of coaching work as well
“This is part of it. In the future, we can put him in the technical staff when he stops his career, we’re not just including him like this, but with a vision.”
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Kampala-born Onyango made his debut for the national team 20 years ago, amassing over 80 caps, and was part of the generation that returned to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017, the first time Uganda had qualified for the competition since 1978.
They then returned to the tournament in 2019, reaching the Last 16 where they were eliminated by eventual finalists Senegal.
“It’s important to have someone in your side with real experience,” Put concluded. “He’s participated before in the AFCON – not many players in our side have done that.”
First appointed Uganda captain in 2017, Onyango has been with Sundowns since 2011, and while not always first choice with Masandawana over the last 14 years, he’s nonetheless amassed nine PSL title triumphs and was between the sticks when they dispatched SC Zamalek to win the CAF Champions League title in 2016.
Speaking recently to CAF, Onyango revealed how he was inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo to keep playing beyond 40 and shared how he has encouraged his teammates to recognise the opportunity the Nations Cup can bring to transform your career trajectory.
According to teammate Allan Okello, the stopper’s presence is having a significant positive impact in the camp, and particularly on the team’s younger players.
“Denis has been so helpful and amazing as a leader for us,” he told ESPN. “He’s been so helpful for those players who haven’t been to an AFCON before, trying to help us on the field, in training, trying to boost us, to make us focus.
“We need each other to go into this next game with all of our energy, to perform well after losing our first match, and his leadership has been amazing.”
After losing their opening match 3-1 to Tunisia on Tuesday, Uganda will be looking to bounce back when they face Tanzania in an East African derby at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat on Saturday. They conclude their Group C campaign against Nigeria in Fez on December 30.
