Uganda Cranes captain Emmanuel Okwi has announced his retirement from international football after 15 years of service.
Okwi, who plies his trade for Rwanda’s Kiyovu FC, this morning announced the decision on his Instagram page in an emotional message that’s full of gratitude, love, hope, and nostalgia.
He wrote: “Representing my country on the international stage has been a fulfilling dream that came true. Donning the Uganda Cranes shirt always left a special feeling and captaining our team was an absolute privilege and honour.
An exciting new era for Ugandan football is coming up with East Africa hosting the CHAN later this August and subsequently the AFCON 2027 with many young footballers coming up. That is why, having cherished all those memories, I believe it is time for me to bow out and pave the way for our talented young football players.
I will always hold close to my heart the love shown to me by all the fans and my special thanks go to my family, Coach Bobby Williamson who handed me a debut, all the successive coaches thereafter with whom we created memories together through thick and thin and of course the leadership at the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA).”
Okwi made his Cranes debut in 2009, playing 95 times and scoring 28 goals of which 22 came in competitive games, the most by any Ugandan footballer.
His fondest moment could be the two goals he scored at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, against DR Congo and Zimbabwe respectively.
He inherited the captain’s armband vacated by goalkeeper Denis Onyango when he retired in 2021. However, Okwi’s reign wasn’t as eventful as his predecessor’s because he last featured for Cranes in the 2023 Afcon Qualifiers.
Okwi’s goodbye will be louder in the Cranes dressing room as Uganda prepares to face Mozambique and Guinea in the Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifiers starting this weekend.
Emerging from SC Villa, Okwi’s club career has traversed the world through Simba SC (Tanzania), Young Africans (Tanzania), Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia), SonderjyskE (Denmark), Al Ittihad (Egypt), Al Zawra’a (Iraq) and Erbil SC (Iraq).
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