Rachael Muema

Rachael Muema (born 6 October 1999) is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or Winger (football) for Kenyan Women's Premier League club Thika Queens and the Kenya women's national football team.[1] She has won the Kenyan Women's Premier League once [2][3] and was included in the Kenya women's national football team for the 2020 Turkish Women's Cup[4]

Rachael Muema celebrating her goal for Thika Queens against Gaspo Women FC in the Kenyan Women's Premier League final, on Sunday, June 27, 2021

Rachael began her career with Thika Queens immediately after completing high school in 2016.[1] In 2017, she earned her debut call-up in the Kenya women's u20 team, and took part in the 2018 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, scoring Kenya's only goal in the 5-1 home loss against the Ghana women's u20 team.[5]

Early life

At age 7, Rachael began playing football with village boys in Kitui County. She later was selected to represent Mutanda Primary School in the national ball games. She continued playing football for Nginda Girls High School, where she was later made captain[6] and led the school in many inter-school games, including national [7] and East African high school competitions. Muema's role model is Doreen Nabwire and inspired by the former Kenyan international's football journey and her record of being the inaugural Kenyan woman to play professional football in Europe as her dream is to play in Europe.[8]

Club career

Rachael has played for her current club, Thika Queens, since joining from high school in 2016, to date. She has grown to be an integral part of the team by scoring and assisting goals. She helped the club win the 2020-21 Kenyan Women's Premier League by scoring 7 goals and registering 10 assists in 14 matches.

International career

Youth

Less than a year after joining Thika Queens, Rachael earned her first Kenya women's national under-20 football team call up in August 2017 for a friendly match against Jordan women's national football team in preparation for the 2018 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament.[9] She was also included in the squad that eliminated Ethiopia Women's U-20 team in the first round of the qualifiers.[10] She debuted in the second round of the qualifiers against the Ghana women's national under-20 football team, scoring Kenya's only goal in the 5-1 defeat at home [5]

Senior

Rachael earned her debut senior call-up in 2020; she was included in the squad for the 2020 Turkish Women's Cup.[11] After the CCVID-19 outbreak,[12] she was handed another call-up in April 2021, for a friendly match against Zambia,[13] which was later suspended as a precautionary measure against the virus.

See also

References
  1. Soka25east.com (2020-03-30). "Q&A with Harambee Starlets and Thika Queens Rachael Muema". Soka25east. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  2. "Thika Queens claim Women's Premier League crown | Nation". nation.africa. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  3. Communications, F. K. F. (2021-06-27). "Thika Queens crowned 2020/21 FKF Women Premier League Champions". Football Kenya Federation. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  4. Communications, F. K. F. (2020-03-02). "Starlets final Squad for Turkish Women's Cup named, departure dates set". Football Kenya Federation. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  5. "Ghana crash Kenya's U-20 World Cup ambitions | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  6. "Muema urges Kenyans to support women football". The Star. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  7. "Nginda beat Kobala as girls semi final pairing falls in place". Michezoafrika.com. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  8. Anene, Geoffrey (20 September 2021). "Harambee Starlets striker Rachael Muema dreams big". Nation. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  9. Shariff, Ahmed (2017-08-27). "National U20 Women team for Jordan friendlies named". Football Kenya Federation. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  10. "Harambee Starlets U-20 ready for Ethiopia test | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  11. Communications, F. K. F. (2020-03-10). "Harambee Starlets fall to Ghana in Turkish Women's Cup". Football Kenya Federation. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  12. Communications, F. K. F. (2020-04-30). "Press Statement: Cancellation of all FKF Leagues". Football Kenya Federation. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  13. Natiom, Lokeder (2021-04-12). "Kenya/Zambia: Harambee Starlets Squad for Zambia Friendly Out". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
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