Patrice Lumumba’s legacy links Congo superfan and Grêmio idol Paulo Lumumba | OneFootball

Patrice Lumumba’s legacy runs from the DR Congo stands to Brazil, linking superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga with Grêmio idol Paulo Lumumba, who would have turned 90 on Monday. According to Globo.com.

Sergipe-born forward Paulo Otacílio de Souza gained the Lumumba nickname while at São Paulo in the early 1960s, when the Congolese leader was central to his country’s liberation. It was coined by commentator Geraldo José de Almeida, famed for dubbing Brazil Canarinho, after a light-hearted exchange that made the name stick.

He moved to Porto Alegre in 1961, where the moniker endured. The following year he joined Aimoré on loan and even scored against Grêmio in the 1962 Gauchão.

Back at the Tricolor he won five straight state titles and became an idol, staying until 1968. He made 146 appearances and scored 55 goals.

After retiring in the early 1970s, he is said to have spent more than a decade as an assistant and coach of Grêmio’s youth and senior sides. He led the team in 1976 before Telê Santana arrived, and was interim in 1983 as the club prepared for the Club World Cup against Hamburg.

Lumumba led DR Congo to independence in 1960 and is regarded as a national hero. He became prime minister in June 1960 but lasted only months amid Cold War suspicion, and was executed in 1961 aged 35.

Belgian and US authorities were involved in his killing, alleging Soviet links. His body was dissolved in acid to prevent a political shrine, yet he became a martyr and a symbol for Africa.

Mboladinga, known as Lumumba Vea, went viral at the Africa Cup of Nations as a human statue tribute. Invited to join the World Cup delegation, he missed the Portugal opener due to Ebola-related travel restrictions.

Now cleared, he has arrived in Mexico and will be in the Guadalajara stands for Colombia at 23:00 Brasília time, in Group K’s second round.

Source: Globo.com