Gor Mahia defender Rooney Onyango is currently in Norway for trials with Sogndal Football, a team in the second-tier Norwegian football. Founded in 1926, Sogndal is located in Vestland and plays its home matches at the Fosshaugane Campus, which has a capacity of 5,600.
On February 26, 2025, Rooney started in a match for Sogndal against Hodd, a third-tier side. The club announced his participation in the starting eleven through its official X (formerly Twitter) account, stating, “Here is the lineup for today’s match against Hødd! Luis Pimenta gives the young guys the opportunity against OBOS opposition! Trial player Rooney Onyango starts.”
Throughout the season, Rooney has been subject to numerous transfer attempts, many of which fell through at the last minute, causing tensions between him and his club. The 23-year-old recently found himself in a dispute involving Gor Mahia and Tanzanian top-tier team Singida FC. Singida FC had reportedly sent $40,000 (approximately Ksh 5,120,000) to Gor Mahia as a transfer fee for the Kenyan right-back after the two clubs reached an agreement, but Rooney rejected the move. This forced Singida FC to seek a refund from Gor Mahia.
In August 2024, Rooney was also implicated in a situation involving alleged forgery of Visa applications that resulted in the confiscation of his and three other players’ passports by the Italian Embassy. The issue was eventually resolved after intervention by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), which sorted the matter with the embassy.
Earlier in the season, Rooney was among the players suspended by Gor Mahia for participating in matches for the non-league team A Mosquito FC. Despite these challenges, he has been a key player for both Gor Mahia and the national team, having made his debut for the Harambee Stars in October 2023 during a friendly match against Russia.
