Name: Thomas Lwanga
Nickname: "Tom"
Country:
UgandaClub: Kampala City FC (1976-1979), Sharjah FC (1980-1982)
Position: *CB, SWP
Side: RF/BS
Age: 18-24 years (??/??/1957 or 1958)
Height: 180 cm *
Weight: 73 kg *
Attack: 64
Defence: 83
Balance: 83
Stamina: 79
Top Speed: 74
Acceleration: 71
Response: 80
Agility: 71
Dribble Accuracy: 81
Dribble Speed: 74
Short Pass Accuracy: 75
Short Pass Speed: 71
Long Pass Accuracy: 73
Long Pass Speed: 70
Shot Accuracy: 60
Shot Power: 78
Shot Technique: 65
Free Kick Accuracy: 56
Curling: 61
Header: 74
Jump: 78
Technique: 81
Aggression: 68
Mentality: 79
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 73
Injury Tolerance: A
Condition: 5
Weak Foot Accuracy: 5
Weak Foot Frequency: 5
Consistency: 5
Growth type: Early/Peak
CARDS:
S08 - Man Marking
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Marking
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Defence Minded
INFO:
Lwanga is a former centre-back or sweeper. His career started in 1972 and ended in 1988. He spent the majority of it at Kampala City FC where he played from 1973 to 1979 and 1983 to 1988 during the golden era of the club. He also played for Emirati team Sharjah from 1980 to 1982. Lwanga represented Uganda during this period, earning at least 11 caps and taking part to the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations where the country finished runner-up.
Arguably the best centre-back Uganda has ever produced, many in the country consider Lwanga as their best ever n°4. However, he wasn't always a defender. He was a striker in his youth as he loved dribbling the opponents. When he joined Kampala City in 1973, he was more of a winger or midfielder rather than pure striker or defender. But because Kampala City's coach wanted fast strikers, he turned Lwanga into a defender, a choice that the Ugandan player didn't like at first. Even as a defender, though, he didn't stop dribbling his opponents, causing his teammates to panic. Luckily, Lwanga was a skilled dribbler and according to himself, he could protect the ball from three opponents before he would eventually pass it, receiving cheers from the fans in the process. He was an elegant defender with a unique style that endeared him to fans during his peak. From a defensive standpoint, he was the heart of the defence alongside Jimmy Kirunda and his role in Uganda's rock solid defence was pivotal.
Lwanga considers his best match to be Uganda against Zambia at the 1975 CECAFA Cup (he was probably not even 18 yet). During the match, he successfuly man-marked noneother than Zambian legend Godfrey Chitalu who finished the game without scoring.
In a 2020 interview, veteran journalist Douglas Nsubuga recalled one league match in the 1970s when towards the end Lwanga worked hard to collect a ball for a throw-in that resulted into a goal for Kampala City, and he almost knocked the journalist at the touchline.