Malawian junior ready for Gor Mahia challenge

Malawian youngster Andrew Numero Malisero, who joined Kenyan champions Gor Mahia recently on a three-year deal, is looking forward to enjoying his stay at the club.

The forward has never played at the top level, but he knows what to expect as he has had a taste of Kenyan football having most recently played for Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Division Two side Commercial FC, which is based in Thika.

“It is an honor for me to be able to play for this amazing club. I thank God and the club for giving me the opportunity. I am looking forward to working my hardest to help the club retain the league title and hopefully do well continentally,” he told Nation Sport.

“I follow Kenyan football very much and it was an unbelievable feeling that they considered me to be a part of the team. I am very grateful and will make use of this great opportunity. The Kenyan Premier League is a very competitive league with quality players and I am looking forward to experiencing it all,” he added.

Numero is primarily an attacking player who loves taking on defenders and this is what he says Gor Mahia and Kenyan football fans should expect from him.

“I am a positive person who loves the game and who expresses himself with the ball at his feet. I’m looking forward to entertaining Kenyan football fans. I love playing as an attacker, as a number 9 or 10, but can adapt to any other position," he said.

Numero, 20, grew up in Ndirande, Malawi, but had to move to Kenya with his mother who now works here. He has also previously played college football in the USA.

“I started playing football when I was seven years old back in Malawi. All I did was play football with my friends and that kept me from doing a lot of things that could have harmed my life and my career. It was easy to use drugs or start stealing but football kept me straight,” he said.

“I played for my school teams and at an academy called Surestream Academy before we moved to Kenya in 2013. I went to Braeburn High School from year 9 to 11 and then to Braeside International School.

I was always eager to play at an organised league and therefore joined a Sub County team called African Warriors and luckily got an opportunity to go play in the USA on a football scholarship. I was there for a year before I moved back to Kenya and joined Commercial FC before the pandemic halted the league,” he added.

Numero has represented the Malawi under-20 side and says the experience has prepared him for professional football.

“It has made me believe in myself. It’s a big achievement to represent my national team at junior level, but it also helped me set the bar higher and I now want to of play for the senior team in the near future.”

He looks up to Gabadinho Mhango, a Malawian International who features for South African top-tier side Orlando Pirates, and Kenyan international Jesse Were, amongst other players.

“I look up to these amazing players not only because of their football abilities but also their personalities. I have watched Mhango since I was a young kid and have always admired how easily he takes on defenders,” he said.

Numero would love to start a football academy back in Malawi in the future but for now, his focus is on cementing his position at Gor Mahia and hopefully move to Europe in the coming years.