Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga believes the pressure and criticism he faces from fans has made him a better player.

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga is one of the players who divides opinion when he plays for the national team.

Olunga receives love and hate in equal measure whenever he dons the national team jersey and can go from being hero when he scores to villain when he misses chances, something that has always left him at loggerheads with supporters.

His latest encounter with such was during this month’s World Cup qualifiers against The Gambia and Seychelles.

In the first game, Kenya were beaten 3-1 at home by Johnathan McKinstry’s men, when Olunga missed a number of chances that got him on the receiving end, before he scored a brace in a 5-0 thrashing of Seychelles to turn into a hero again.

“[Scoring and winning against Seychelles] was really amazing especially after the performance against Gambia. We really wanted to redeem ourselves and thanks to Kenyans for coming out in large numbers to support us. We are really grateful,” Olunga said in an interview with journalist Shon Osimbo.

How Does Olunga Deal with Hate?

The striker then delved into his icy relationship with supporters, revealing how he has turned the criticism directed his way into fuel to fire him to success.

“As an experienced player, we have to take in the pressure and turn this criticism into a motivation for the next game and that is what we need,” he added.

While he continues to divide opinion, Olunga remains Kenya’s most lethal striker among those who are still playing and is joint second on the country’s all-time scorers list with 33 goals after his double against Seychelles brought him level with Dennis Oliech.

He is now two goals shy of equaling William Ouma, who holds the record, and has a chance to do it next month as Harambee Stars face Ivory Coast and Burundi in their final World Cup qualifiers.