Congolese man’s motionless presence is seen as so critical to the team’s success that the president intervened to get him to the U.S.

Michel Kuka Mboladinga, pictured at a match in January, is known for his snappy suits and resemblance to his country’s founding prime minister. TATA RAPAHEL /ZUMA PRESS

By Nicholas Bariyo

June 15, 2026 5:30 am ET

KAMPALA, Uganda—Michel Kuka Mboladinga is on a mission so critical that the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo personally intervened so he could carry it out on his behalf.

The task: stop the country’s World Cup opponents from scoring.

Mboladinga is the Congolese national team’s most famous fan, known for his practice of holding a statue-like pose and steely gaze throughout entire games. The ritual is a tribute to his country’s founding prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who was assassinated in a Belgian-led plot in 1961. Lumumba Vea, Mboladinga’s nickname, means Lumumba Lives.

Known for his snappy suits and his resemblance to the slain leader, Mboladinga stays frozen to give his side the strength to block shots and to win battles on the pitch.

Mboladinga’s online fame peaked during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he held the pose during every Congo match. Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP

Mboladinga is sometimes called the ‘grandson of Lumumba’ by adoring fans. Paul Ellis/Afp/Getty Images

“I stand motionless because I believe it gives the team emotional stamina,” he said in a phone interview last week. “Just as Lumumba sacrificed his life for our country, mine is a small price to pay because of how deeply I care about this team.”

His online fame peaked during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where during every Congo match he stood still with his right arm raised in a mirror image of a statue of Lumumba in the capital city of Kinshasa. When his team was knocked out by Algeria in extra time, Mboladinga fell crying into the arms of the Congo fans around him.

Mboladinga, 49, sometimes called the “grandson of Lumumba” by adoring fans, says he is pleased that he will be bringing Lumumba’s legacy to the U.S. His hero often rattled Washington with his fiery speeches during the Cold War, amid fears that he was aligning with the Soviet Union.

Some soccer fans in Georgia, where Congo has a sizable diaspora community, are eager to see Mboladinga perform at Atlanta Stadium when his team plays against Uzbekistan on June 28, according to Yvette Kapinga Ngandu, Congo’s ambassador to Washington.

“I was talking to the mayor of Atlanta recently, and he personally asked about Mboladinga. Many fans can’t wait to see him in the stadium,” Ngandu said.

Mboladinga in Kinshasa in April in video made available by the Democratic Republic of Congo National Team. 88 Dragons PR

The Congolese national team is competing in the World Cup for the first time in more than half a century, and even advancing past the group stage would be a minor miracle.

But Mboladinga’s arrival in the states was nearly as big of a long shot.

With the deadly Ebola outbreak raging in eastern Congo, the Trump administration has erected additional barriers to entry. The Congolese players, coaches and other staff had to isolate themselves in Belgium before traveling to Houston for their opening match against Portugal on Wednesday.

Anyone else, including thousands of Congolese fans who bought tickets to games, won’t be allowed entry into the U.S.

The players, however, were reluctant to go without their statuesque cheering section. So they persuaded Congo President Félix Tshisekedi to include Mboladinga in the official delegation.

“They love him a lot,” Véron Mosengo-Omba, the president of the Congolese Association Football Federation, said of the players. “Mboladinga is a national symbol of resilience and pride.”

Mboladinga, pictured at the airport, has to clear Ebola health protocols before traveling to the U.S. 88 Dragons PR

As with Lumumba, Mboladinga’s popularity has a downside. National team matches can stretch beyond 100 minutes because of added time, during which he must remain completely still.

The team’s match against the West African country of Benin in December lasted so long he admits he nearly gave up. “I was so exhausted,” said Mboladinga, who stays in shape by holding the pose for 30 to 40 minutes on non-match days.

Stardom has brought financial rewards for Mboladinga, who works as an animator with a local soccer club, AS Vita. He has signed advertising deals with the local units of Chinese smartphone maker Tecno Mobile and French telecommunications company Orange, which Mboladinga’s associates say have helped him keep his wardrobe fresh and maintain his meticulously designed hairstyle.

In January, President Tshisekedi gifted him a new luxury Jeep. He drives the sleek black car around Kinshasa, sometimes stopping at malls and markets to greet cheering fans.

After matches, national team supporters often form a human shield so that Mboladinga can leave the stadium without getting swarmed by fans eager to take photos or record TikTok videos.

Mboladinga’s pose is a mirror image of a statue of Lumumba in the capital city of Kinshasa. arsene mpiana/Afp/Getty Images

Mboladinga said his performance is intended to remind Congolese people of the bravery and sacrifices Lumumba made on behalf of his country.

“It is reassuring that the public resonates so strongly with our independence hero, Lumumba,” he said. “It is delightful.”

Unfortunately for the team, they’ll have to face Portugal without their superfan’s help. Mboladinga joined the team in Belgium too late to clear the Ebola health protocols in time to make it to Houston.

He expects to be in Atlanta for next week’s match against Uzbekistan.

https://www.wsj.com/sports/soccer/world-cup-congo-mboladinga-lumumba-8a719d1c

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