Ali Kitonsa (12 May 1939 – 23 March 2013) was a Ugandan footballer who played as a striker. He is known as the first professional Ugandan footballer and regarded as one of the greatest players in Ugandan football history.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Kitonsa | ||
| Date of birth | 12 May 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Butambala District, Uganda | ||
| Date of death | 23 March 2013 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Uganda | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959-1964 | Express | 18 | (54) |
| 1964 | Zamalek SC | ||
| 1965-1979 | Express | 18 | (36) |
| International career | |||
| 1963-1965 | Uganda | 13 | (27[1]) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editAli Kitonsa was one of the first players to be signed by Express founder Joseph "Jolly Joe" Kiwanuka, who spotted Kitonsa when Kitonsa was playing for King's College Buddo Secondary School. Thanks to his goals, the Red Eagles achieved promotion to the top flight in 1961. Kitonsa unofficially holds the record for the highest number goals in the Uganda Premier League in one season: 54 goals in 18 games as Express won the 1964 Kampala First Division League. The following season, Kitonsa signed with Zamalek SC, becoming the first professional Ugandan footballer. He didn't stay for long, as he returned to Express FC, picking up two more league titles, in 1974 and 1975. It is estimated that Kitonsa scored over 200 goals before retiring in 1979 at the age of 40.[3][4][5]
International career
editKitonsa represented Uganda from 1963 to 1965, scoring 20 times in just 10 games. However, he may have started his international career earlier than we so far know, due to records of games not being officially released. His stats could inflate due to further research being undertook, he played an estimated 30 games for Uganda, which may be proven in Ugandan newspapers of the time.[1][3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Uganda - List of International Matches". www.rsssf.org.
- ^ Kiyonga, Ismael (23 March 2020). "Ali Kitonsa: Remembering the first Ugandan to play professional football". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Kitonsa: A striker who was an extraordinary goal machine". Monitor. 10 January 2021.
- ^ "Ali Kitonsa: Remembering the first Ugandan to play professional football". Kawowo Sports. 23 March 2020.
- ^ Smyth, Andrew (23 February 2022). "Top 5 Ugandan Strikers Of All Time".