Tanzania 2019 Home (SAMATTA #10) Jersey/Shirt

This is an uhlsport Tanzania national team 2019 home jersey featuring the name and number of star striker and captain Mbwana Samatta.

Despite boasting a relatively strong domestic league, the Tanzania national team have largely been unable to achieve much success outside of the East African region. They have won the CECAFA Cup three times (1974, 1994 & 2010) and qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations twice (in 1980 & 2019). Their qualification for AFCON 2019, marking their return to the tournament after 39 years was expected to be the beginning of a golden generation for Tanzanian football, however despite some achievements, the results of the national team in recent years have been inconsistent. Tanzanian football has immense potential, with the strongest league in East Africa, a massive fanbase and a new generation of young players signing to clubs in Europe, all demonstrating that there is a decent foundation for Tanzania to soon become a force in African football.

Mbwana Samatta has been a pioneer for Tanzanian football, working his way from the Tanzanian football system to the top leagues of Europe. Samatta came through the youth team of Dar es Salaam-based club African Lyon F.C. and began his senior career at local giants Simba SC 2010 before moving to DR Congo’s TP Mazembe, one of the most successful clubs in Africa in recent history. Samatta was a key figure as TP Mazembe won the 2015 CAF Champions League, scoring seven goals in the process and finishing as the competition's top scorer. After five seasons with TP Mazembe, Samatta finally made the move to Europe, joining Belgian club Genk in January 2016 and quickly established himself as one of the top strikers in Belgium. After being the Belgian First Division A top scorer in the 2018-19 season, he attracted interest from clubs throughout Europe and eventually signed with English Premier League club Aston Villa in January 2020. After scoring on his league debut, he became the first player from Tanzania to play, and subsequently score in the Premier League, however he struggled to replicate his form in Belgium and later joined Turkish giants Fenerbahçe having scored 1 goal in 14 league matches for Aston Villa. He has since joined Greek giants PAOK, where the 30-year-old will hope restart his career at Europe’s elite level. At international level, Samatta has scored 22 goals in 72 matches for Tanzania since his debut in 2011, placing him as the 2^nd all-time top goalscorer for the national team.