“You Cannot Even Get Out”: Mariga on the Dark Reality Behind Football Glory

Footballers are among the athletes who can quickly swing from hero to zero, and sometimes back again.

It is not unusual for a player to face harsh criticism after a poor showing in one match, only to be celebrated as a hero the next when they deliver an impressive performance.

Harambee Stars legend McDonald Mariga has experienced both sides of this coin, having competed at the highest levels in the Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga.

He particularly fondly recalls his time in Italy, where defeats could confine him to his home during his spell with Serie A giants Inter Milan.

“There is a time when you lose, you cannot even get out. You cannot go out to shop; you have to send someone. There was a time I was at Inter; you could not go out in [the city of] Milan. I had to send friends to do shopping for me,” he said.

Mariga explains that a footballer’s social life often depends heavily on the team’s performance on the pitch, with players forced to carefully consider where they go and what they do based on results.

“You only get out when you start winning, so this lifestyle of going to night clubs, it is impossible. Fans would finish you for going to a night club when you have lost a match.

“There is a time when you win, you can go out and fans will sing your name but when you lose, they forget the 10 games you had won,” he added.

Mariga, who lifted the Serie A, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and Coppa Italia with Inter, also had spells with Parma and Latina in Italy, as well as Real Sociedad and Real Oviedo in Spain.