Liberty’s Arnold Onyango shares how the game of soccer saved his life

He imagines himself as some famous soccer star, weaving through defenders towards the goal as the crowd stands in anticipation. He hears the audience roar as his shot collides with the back of the net. When he turns to celebrate with his teammates, reality sets in. The crowd noise fades into the sound of inaudible shouts, dogs barking and traffic commotion. The pristine grass turns into brown, dusty dirt. The jersey on his back becomes an old rag. The ball at his feet, now a ball of trash. 

Deep in the heart of Nairobi, Kenya, there lies a dirt field. Nothing more than an empty expanse of land left barren by an underdeveloped country and forgotten because of its location in an impoverished slum. However, this land served as an escape — a hospital, in a way — for an orphaned boy who dreamt of playing soccer in the great stadiums of the world with audiences of thousands.

For Arnold Onyango, a senior on the Liberty men’s soccer team, the game of soccer saved his life and made the dream of his youth seem feasible. 

After his parents died before his eighth birthday, Onyango was left to fend for himself in one of the largest and most deadly slums in the world, Kibera. Full of crime, poverty and suffering, Kibera offered only despair for Onyango and his younger brother, Donmark. The two Kenyan boys found themselves rummaging the streets, looking toward a dark and hopeless future that provided no way of escape. 

Onyango’s story, however, is not defined by his environment, or the tragedies that derailed his life, but rather by a little boy who was willing to fight for a dream. Onyango showed the world why soccer is known as “the beautiful game.” 

Onyango’s first memories of his life contained a soccer ball and remain as a reminder of his late mother’s love.

“The first person who introduced me to soccer was my mom,” Onyango said. “She used to buy soccer balls and give them to me, and (we would) just kick (them) around… I feel like soccer gives me memories of my family. I always cherish soccer so much. That’s why sometimes when I don’t train, I feel like I am missing something.”

“The memories I have created with the game are unbelievable. I feel like if I didn’t know soccer, I wouldn’t even be here, and I would be a different person right now,” Onyango continued. “The society I was in was crazy. There were a lot of drugs and robbery and stuff like that. All my friends (became) involved in that stuff, but I was able to avoid these things because of soccer. I’m glad God gave me the talent.”

Living with his aunt after his mother died had its challenges. As a boy, Onyango would fetch water, often walking many miles on dirt and rocks while carrying a heavy jug. He would sleep on the floor with a hoodie as a bed and would work at local construction sites doing work no 8 year old should do all to simply earn some money to help his aunt and brother survive. 

Soccer, known to Kenyans and much of the world as football, gave Onyango joy and peace amidst his chaotic life. Without equipment or resources, however, he had to use his imagination.

“As kids, we were so creative,” Onyango said. “We went around and picked up trash, a lot of trash and put it together (to form a ball). We actually went to this desert place to take the leaves from the sisal plants. We would then put them between stones and pull them to create a thread. And then we would tie (the sisal leaves) around the trash, and it became a soccer ball.”

Walking in the streets of Kibera, Onyango would pass by bars with soccer games on the TVs. With the little money that he had, he payed to watch some of his favorite players. Players like the Brazilian Ronaldinho Gaúcho or the Nigerian star Jay-Jay Okocha inspired Onyango to later go home and grab rocks to use as fake defenders. He would then mimic the skills he saw on the TV, dribbling between the rocks with his makeshift trash ball. Little did he know that these skills would one day be used as he represented his country.

The tides turned when a local coach in the slums invited Onyango to play for his team. Bernard Kadondi, known as Coach Sanchez, operated a small soccer team for youth in the area called Kariobangi Youth Sports Ministry. It was there, still in the same slum, that Onyango played with a real soccer ball for the first time.

“Coach Sanchez is like a father figure to me,” Onyango said. “That man has sacrificed a lot for me and other kids to be able to go to school and have a good life. He didn’t have much, but he could always find a way to bring volunteers from different countries to support us … I am always mesmerized by his humility and generous character.”

Not only does Onyango owe his athletic career to Sanchez and the Kariobangi team, but also his faith. Onyango grew up as a Muslim, uneducated and unaware of Christianity. However, with his new team, to receive cleats to play in and jerseys to wear, Onyango had to attend church, and for a boy who never tied laces over his feet, it was an obvious choice.

“One time, people came to donate cleats, and the one condition for you to be able to get the cleats is you had to come to the church,” Onyango said. “I had never been to the church before, and I didn’t know if I wanted to do that, but because I wanted the cleats so bad, (I thought) I would just go, but I wouldn’t do anything that they said.” 

The first time, Onyango only went for the free cleats. However, months later, after wrestling with the message of salvation he had heard, Onyango gave his life to Christ.

“The pastor said for everyone to close their eyes or to stand up or raise your hand, and say these words after him,” Onyango said. “I said the words slowly, and that was the beginning. I felt like I was new. I felt like a different me. … I went home and started thinking about it; … I started talking with my coach, reading the Bible and praying, … and that’s how I grew in my faith and started doing sports ministry.” 

With a legitimate team and a completely new perspective on his life, Onyango grew into a player and a man of dignity and humility. From the beginning, he clearly exhibited a natural talent for the game. 

At 12 years old, Onyango played with the under-15 Kenyan National team. At 14, he played with the under-16 national team, and by the time he was 17 years old, the little boy from the slums of Nairobi was the captain of the under-23 Kenyan National team. 

David Sanford, a missionary to Kenya and executive director for advancement and international training at Missionary Athletes International in Charlotte, North Carolina, who was also pivotal in bringing Onyango to the United States, always knew of Onyango’s capabilities. 

“(My son Mitch and I) were both going like, ‘Dude, watch this little kid here.’ I mean the under-23 team wasn’t bad, but they’re men,” Sanford said. “He was good. Smooth on the ball, didn’t make mistakes, real clean and hard-working.” 

Through the national team, Onyango played in places like Sweden and England as he showcased his talent for his country on the grand stages he dreamed of as a child. With his eyes set on signing a contract for a professional club in Europe, Onyango tore his meniscus in 2019, forcing him to decide his future. 

However, Sanford and Sanchez remained committed to Onyango by supporting his education to the United States while also playing soccer at a high level. Initially, Onyango attended and played at Indiana Wesleyan University. 

Eventually, Onyango came in contact with Head Coach Kelly Findley and the Liberty men’s soccer program. Here, at Liberty, Onyango has continued his legacy of joy and humility both on and off the field. 

Whether it be dancing in the locker room to his Kenyan tunes or looking to make a joke with every teammate he sees, Onyango genuinely enjoys walking between the white lines and playing the game that saved his life. With class and suave, the 5-foot-8-inch midfielder graces the field with his creative feet and intelligent play for Liberty soccer. Having earned a consistent starting spot for the Flames, Onyango brings calmness and skill to the pitch.

“Arnold exemplifies what it means to trust in the Lord with all your heart,” Liberty men’s soccer captain Luke Eberle said. “His life story is a testimony to God’s faithfulness and ability to work in amazing ways to achieve his will. The loyalty, trustworthiness and joy that he brings to my teammates and I far outweigh anything that he can do on the field. That being said, he can definitely do that as well.”

“As a man, (Arnold) symbolizes opportunity, new beginnings and adventure,” Head Coach Findley said. “Ultimately, it’s God’s grace in his life to see all the things he’s been through and then to see him end up here through a couple other missionaries, I think it’s just amazing. On the field, Arnold is just this really kind, caring, gentle guy that has a lot of talent and is a really good teammate. I see him care about guys in a deep way.”

On his left forearm, Onyango has a tattoo of a large cross with the words Romans 8:37 engrained above it. It reads, “In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” 

Onyango has seen misery, pain and death. He has experienced abandonment and suffering that millions in America cannot understand. He knows what loss feels like and exactly how pain tastes. 

But what Onyango has that many in the first-world lack is perspective. Onyango is not an orphan, a poor Kenyan boy or even a successful soccer player. He is a “conqueror” who lives to glorify the one who saved him.

“When you’re going through something, you learn how to believe and trust,” Onyango said. “Through it all, we are more than conquerors through the love of Christ. Looking back, God never left me, and I’ve seen how he works and I’m a living testimony. Growing up without parents and being able to be where I am at right now, it’s crazy.” 

Onyango will graduate in May with a degree in accounting. From there, he plans to begin a master’s program and prepare for his senior season at Liberty. 

Rivas is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter