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Matchworn Frédéric Kanouté 29.01.2008 CIV 🇨🇮 : MLI 🇲🇱 3-0 (Africa Cup 2008)

Manufacturer: Airness

Source: Collector

THE TEAM

Despite never winning an Africa Cup title, the Malian national team is one of the strongest teams on the African continent.

"Les Aigles, as the Malian national team is known, have made it to the semifinals of the Africa Cup four times in the last 20 years, where they came up short on each occasion.

Also today, Mali has a strong team: of the current squad, just three players are not active in Europe.

THE SHIRT

Mali have always been blessed with great kits. In particular, the jerseys since 2017, emblazoned with a giant eagle on the chest, have caused quite a stir. But even before that, Mali had some great designs.

Exhibit A:

This colorful jersey from French manufacturer Airness.

But not only its design is spectacular, – also its story:

The shirt was worn by former Tottenham and Sevilla player Frédéric Kanouté during the 2008 Africa Cup. Moreover, it has a dedication and Kanouté's signature on the back.

In contrast to the worn away jersey that’s also in my collection, the green shirt has a transferred badge.

It was worn by Kanouté during Mali's 0-3 defeat in the group match against the Ivory Coast. After the match, he donated it to a charity, from where it eventually found its way into my collection.