If you were asked to name the most talented Kenyan footballer in recent history; I am sure Victor Wanyama and his brother McDonald Mariga will feature prominently in the mouth of every Kenyan.
But that is probably because not many people remember Jamal Mohammed, arguably the most stylish footballer who never fulfilled his potential.
Gifted with great football skills and magical touching and passing ability, he is considered as one of Kenya’s most calculative player.
“People need to understand the talent in Jamal. He is that kind of player who can turn round a game. He may look like a slow player but he is very calculative,” Jacob Ghost Mulee ones said this about Jamal.
His most iconic moment for the national team was when he came from the bench to equalize for Harambee Stars in an AFCON qualifier against Angola in 2011.
Jamal entered the fray when the national team was trailing 0-1 but his impact turned the scoreline to 2-1. Interestingly, a certain Victor Wanyama was subbed in at the same time with Jamal in that match at the Nyayo Stadium.
Unfortunately, Jamal will be remembered for his off-field issues more than what he did on the pitch.
As Wanyama will be captaining the national team against Ghana on Saturday evening, Jamal may not even watch the match, as he is holed up in custody.
At 34 years, Jamal should have been one of the first names on the national team sheet, but instead he was arraigned at the Makadara Law Courts on Friday and charged with possession of narcotics.
He was found guilty of two offences; being in possession of narcotic drugs and selling Shisha and promoting its smoking.
He was Sentenced to 1.3 years in prison or pay a fine of Sh60,000 for the two offences.
Does this mean that he will not even watch Wanyama and co when they take on other African elite footballers in Egypt?
Well, he may not be in prison because he can afford the 60k fine, but he may also be too intoxicated to watch that game. What a pity?
This is not the first time that Jamal has been embroiled in a controversy. In 2014, Jamal was accused of beating a city lawyer like a burukenge and then stealing his phone.
The lawyer, Job Kimeru , recorded the incident at Parklands station. He also said that he had lost his tooth in the process.
In 2014, Jamal was pictured in an upmarket Kilimani Joint partying and smoking shisha, three days before a crucial match against Nigeria. He was still named in the starting 11 and the team ended up losing
Jamal ones dated the curvaceous Kenyan musician Avril but the relationship ended badly in 2011, the man who was brought in the notorious California Estate couldn’t even keep his love life.
What a waste of a promising career?