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Matchworn by Landry Mulemo (presumably during the 2013 Africa Cup)
Manufacturer: Erreà
Source: Collector
THE TEAM
Contrary to popular belief, “DR Congo” does not stand for “Doctor Congo”, but for “Democratic Republic of the Congo”. Since this is quite a mouthful, the country is usually abbreviated as “Congo-Kinshasa” or simply “DR Congo”.
“The Leopards”, as they are nicknamed, are among the bigger names in African football, ranking as high a 28th place in the 2017 FIFA ranking.
Their most successful times, however, date back to the 60s and 70s, where they managed to win the Africa Cup in 1968 (as Congo-Kinshasa) and 1974 (as Zaïre), as well as participating in the 1974 World Cup in Germany.
As the most populous Francophone country in the world, the DR Congo has accomplished to assemble a respectful squad that consists almost exclusively of players from European Leagues.
THE SHIRT
It’s a flag shirt, it has a big sash and a unique and vibrant color palette – what’s not to like?
While the team always had great shirts, this one stands out as one of their most unique designs yet – even though it doesn’t feature the big leopard of the later O’Neills shirts or the fantastic badge of the previous jerseys. The simple approach by Italian manufacturer Erreà makes this truly a timeless design!
Even better is the fact, that this shirt is actually matchworn by Belgian-Congolese defender Landry Mulemo – presumably even during the 2013 Africa Cup, where the team drew all their three games and didn’t quite make it to the knock-out round.
It is still unknown, however, why someone decided to put that badly disfigured leopard on the country’s badge. Seriously, that poor creature should be put out of its misery, yet, it’s still featured on their newest shirts…
