São Tomé e Príncipe 2023 Home (#10- LEAL) Jersey/Shirt
£34.99
This is a Joma São Tomé e Príncipe national team 2023 home jersey featuring the number of star striker Luís Leal.
The São Tomé e Príncipe national team have traditionally been one of the lowest-ranked teams in Africa, however this is mostly due to their lack of regular matches throughout large periods over recent decades. An eight-year hiatus from international football throughout 2003-2011 meant that the team did not enter any tournament during this time, however since returning in 2011 they have achieved some impressive results considering their population is only around 210,000. With a squad featuring mostly players competing in various leagues in Europe sourced from the vast São Toméan diaspora, hopes are high that they can replicate the success of fellow smaller African nations such as Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau over the coming years.
Luís Leal is arguably the greatest player in the history of São Toméan football, with the 35-year-old veteran having had a prolific club career playing in a wide range of leagues in several continents. Leal was born in Portugal to parents of São Toméan heritage and began his senior club career in 2008 with Atlético Clube in Portugal’s 3rd tier. He later played for a number of clubs throughout the Portuguese football pyramids, with his strong form at Primeira Liga club Estoril over 1 ½ seasons led to him joining Saudi giants Al-Ahli for the 2013-14 season. From there he had spells with Ittihad Kalba in the UAE Pro League, Turkish Süper Lig club Gaziantepspor, Cypriot club APOEL and back in Portugal with Belenenses. In early 2016, Leal made a surprise move to Cerro Porteño in the Paraguayan Primera División, where he scored 14 goals in 23 matches before returning to Saudi Arabia to join Al Fateh. Leal has since had stints at Mexican Liga MX clubs Chiapas & Club Tijuana, Argentine Primera División club Newell's Old Boys, Paraguay’s Sol América, Bolivia's Deportivo Guabirá and is currently with Argentine Primera División club Arsenal de Sarandí . At international level, Leal has scored 10 goals in 24 matches for São Tomé e Príncipe since his debut in 2012 and is the all-time leading goalscorer in the relatively brief history of the national team.