Kenyan international striker Michael Olunga was on Tuesday named the 2020 Meiji Yasuda Life J-League Most Valuable Player (MVP). 

Olunga also bagged the Golden Boot award in the gala and became J-League’s first African MVP and eighth player to bag the coveted award and the Golden Boot all during the same season. 

The Kenyan striking sensation also becomes the second foreign player to clinch the MVP after Leandro Domingues, the only other player from Kashiwa Reysol to ever win the award. 

The magnificent Olunga scored 28 goals and made four assists during his first full season in the J1 League accounting for close to half of Kashiwa Reysol’s 60 goals in this season. 

He was the highest scorer in the league since the 33 Araujo scored for Gamba Osaka in 2005. 

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The second highest scorer in the league was Brazilian Everaldo who turns up for Kashima Antlers with 18 goals. 

Olunga lauded Reysol for not giving up on him after a slow start on arrival in August 2018. 

The 26-year-old scored 27 goals in 2019 to help Kashiwa Reysol emerge top in the J2-League returning them to top flight football. 

Olunga formerly played for Tusker FC, Thika United and Gor Mahia as a dependable strike before flying out to Japan.