On the pitch, he was the definition of joy.
Blessed with blistering pace and electric creativity, Gor Mahia winger Shariff Musa spent the 2025/26 League season tormenting defenders, racking up an impressive seven goals and six assists, and dancing in front of thousands of adoring K’Ogalo faithful.
But behind the celebratory post-match dances and a breakout campaign that yielded a league title, a clean sweep of individual honors, and a Harambee Stars call-up, Musa was fighting a devastating, silent battle.
In a deeply emotional social media post today, the winger revealed that he played almost the entire season harboring a profound grief: the sudden tragic loss of his brother, Salim Musa, to whom he had made a sacred pact.
ALSO READ: Gor Mahia’s Shariff Musa leads Sportpesa League Team of the Week – Round 32
According to Musa, the fuel behind his relentless form this season was born out of a desperate attempt to save his brother’s life before the campaign even kicked off.
“Before the season started, I had a bet with my brother Salim,” Musa shared. “It sounded simple. He said to me, ‘Bring me a league winner’s medal, then I will quit my addiction.’ I embraced the challenge because I wanted to see the best version of my brother.”
Tragically, the pact took a devastating turn before the domestic league even commenced. While Gor Mahia was preparing for a pre-season friendly against Tanzania’s Simba SC, Salim’s grueling seven-month battle in a hospital bed came to an end.
“Something funny happened,my brother had already won his bet,” Musa wrote. “He stopped his addiction. He kept his word, right?! But he kept his word in death.”
Faced with a loss that would break most athletes, Musa made a harrowing decision. Stripped of the luxury of time to properly process his grief, he buried his brother and immediately returned to the football pitch the very same day.
“I had a choice: to let his death break me, or embrace the pain and make him proud,” the winger revealed. “I buried him, and the same day I buried him, I traveled back to go and play. I didn’t have the time to mourn my brother because I had a debt to clear. But I mourned him every time I stepped on that field.”
Musa’s magnificent, grief-fueled performances did not go unnoticed. As he fought through the pain to secure a record-extending league title for Gor Mahia, he swept major individual honors during the club’s end-of-season gala as he was voted by the K’Ogalo faithful as the Fans Player of the season and the most improved player.
ALSO READ: Sharrif Musa caps stellar season by sharing Gor Mahia title triumph with his hero dad
This season he became the inaugural winner of the revived Sportpesa League monthly award after an electric run in October 2025 equally earning a spot 7 times in the official Sportpesa League Team of the Week throughout the season.
Without his brother there to witness the fulfillment of the promise, Musa admits he is left with an emptiness that silverware cannot fill at all.
I got him his medal. I don’t know how my performances this season were, because the only person to tell me honestly lies in the ground,” Musa wrote in a heartbreaking conclusion.
The only thing I know is that I kept my word. Salim Musa,goodbye my brother, goodbye my friend, goodbye my fan. Rest, Champ.”
Musa officially joined Gor Mahia during the mid-season transfer window in January 2024 from fellow Sportpesa League Bidco United.
He made an immediate impact, helping K’Ogalo clinch the 2023/24 league trophy shortly after arriving, before his massive breakout campaign in the 2025/26 season.
But behind the celebratory post-match dances and a breakout campaign that yielded a league title, a clean sweep of individual honors, and a Harambee Stars call-up, Musa was fighting a devastating, silent battle.
In a deeply emotional social media post today, the winger revealed that he played almost the entire season harboring a profound grief: the sudden tragic loss of his brother, Salim Musa, to whom he had made a sacred pact.