Patrick Matasi, the 37-year-old former Kenya international goalkeeper, who has not played competitively since joining Kakamega Homeboyz in January 2025, hopes to return to the pitch in the Legends Cup against the Arsenal Legends on 13 November in Nairobi.
Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium hosts the Legends Cup on Friday 13 November 2026. Twenty former Arsenal players are due to face twenty retired Kenya internationals, according to Business Today Kenya. An official exhibition that is taking on the feel of a derby of memories for the Nairobi public.
The announced delegation mixes generations of Gunners: Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Robert Pirès, Ashley Cole, Gilberto Silva, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Kieran Gibbs, Lukasz Fabianski and Mikael Silvestre are among the names cited, alongside Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Eboué, Gervinho, Alex Song, Bacary Sagna and Johan Djourou.
The Gunners’ African axis
Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboué, both former Ivory Coast internationals, are among the most anticipated African names in this delegation.
They are joined by Gervinho, Alex Song, Bacary Sagna and Johan Djourou.
Business Today Kenya does, however, make clear that this is an expected delegation list: nothing yet guarantees the actual presence of each of these names at kick-off. The format, twenty against twenty, pits former Arsenal players against retired Kenya internationals.
Matasi, the match’s other stakes
Behind the Gunners fixture, the occasion has a special flavour for Patrick Matasi. The 37-year-old former Kenya international goalkeeper, with 35 caps for the Harambee Stars, has not played competitively since joining Kakamega Homeboyz in January 2025, according to Business Today Kenya.
His career was interrupted by a provisional suspension, after the Kenyan federation opened an investigation into suspected match manipulation. No conclusion to that investigation has been mentioned to date. The goalkeeper hopes to use the Legends Cup to return to the pitch.
“I feel this is my chance to start getting back into football. I will try to get a place and represent my nation with dignity,” he told Business Today Kenya and Mozzart Sport. The goalkeeper is coming from a long way back: his last cap for Kenya dates back to October 2024, against Cameroon.
A solid record in the national team
Voted MVP and best goalkeeper of the 2017 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, he saved three penalties in the final against Zanzibar. His senior debut came on 23 March 2017, in a friendly against Uganda (1-1) under Stanley Okumbi.
A starter in all three of Kenya’s group matches at AFCON 2019 in Egypt, he made 12 saves, including one from a penalty against Sadio Mané. More recently, he took part in the 2024 Four Nations Tournament won in Malawi, in the semi-final against Malawi and then in the final against Zimbabwe.