Victor Wanyama’s ascent and decline have been very turbulent since the Kenyan midfielder’s recent debut with Dunfermline Athletic. In 2012, when Celtic defeated a top-tier Barcelona team led by Tito Villanova 2-1 in the Champions League, the now 33-year-old made his debut by heading in the Bhoys’ opening goal.
Due to his outstanding performances, he was promoted to Southampton and subsequently Tottenham in the Premier League, where he thrived in the midst of England’s most difficult midfield contests. At Hotspur Way, however, injuries proved to be his downfall, ending what may have been a stellar career at the highest level. Wanyama made 154 appearances in the Premier League of England before moving to Montreal in 2020, where he gradually faded into the shadows.
After five years, he returns to the United Kingdom. In what many perceived as a sort of homecoming, Wanyama reconnected with former Celtic manager Neil Lennon on March 26, 2025, when he signed a short-term contract with Dunfermline Athletic of the Scottish Championship. However, reality had other ideas if he was aiming for a fairytale start, as things drastically changed three days later.
Victor Wanyama Produces One of the Worst Debuts in 3-0 Loss
He was sent off 19 minutes into his debut away to promotion-chasing Ayr United
The assumption that facing former Celtic teammate Scott Brown, who is currently Ayr United’s head coach, would make the homecoming any easier was ultimately a false sense of optimism. Wanyama had already made the difficult decision to come off the bench with 26 minutes remaining, with his team already trailing 1-0 against second-place Ayr United.
Everything came apart less than 20 minutes into his debut, which supporters had believed would add some much-needed quality to their midfield given his five Scottish Premiership titles from his previous spell in Scotland. The Kenyan international’s debut was ruined when he was sent off following a handball following a stumble. View the incident below:
Incredible start for Wanyama…. Pars saviour 🤣 pic.twitter.com/r5cNJDkgKo
— Calum (@Steeley1997) March 29, 2025
Welcome to the Scottish championship Victor Wanyama. pic.twitter.com/7bAgFwjjzv
— Garry 🏴 (@GarrySav) March 29, 2025
According to talkSPORT, Wanyama stated before Saturday’s game: “I play midfield, and the gaffer did too. I also played with Scott Brown.” It’s only a fairy tale, me and the gaffer playing against him. So, I’m excited about it.
“At this point, I want to attempt to support the team and keep them in the league. We may then get together and talk about it once again.
However, with five games left in the season, a significant turnaround in performance is required to avoid relegation to the Scottish League One, from where they were promoted in 2023 following their title victory. They are barely two points from safety after three straight losses, although they are now in a relegation play-off spot.
