Photo by Joseph Moura

‘The Bombardier’ was the nickname given to Congolese striker, Pierre Kalala Mukendi, for his powerful strike, great resilience and tactical awareness.

Born on November 22, 1939 in Lisaki, a province of the Katanga region in the now-Democratic Republic of Congo, Pierre was an unstoppable force as the vice-captain of The Leopards, then-Zaire’s national side. Thanks to him, his side won the African Cup of Nations in 1968 in Addis Ababa.

As a husband and a father to nine children, the archive of his football career is tucked away in old photograph albums that he is only too happy to dig out. Images of him shaking the hand of President Mobuto and receiving accolades from the President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, are stuck beside action shots for which The Bombardier became known.

Pierre began playing football for TP Englebert which is now known as TP Mazembe. His prowess with the team landed them the title of African Club Champions two years in a row, in 1967 and 1968. During his prolific career, the striker scored an astonishing 500 goals in 90 caps.

Following his retirement in 1972, The Bombardier went into coaching. He started with his former team, TP Mazhembe and moved on to coach The Leopards in 1981.

With such football legends as Pierre now retired from the game, there are big boots to fill for up and coming soccer players in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Publication rights to this feature are available from Africa Media Online.