Sébastien Desabre took charge of DR Congo in 2022 and guided it to the FIFA World Cup after 52 years. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

Sébastien Desabre, the 49-year-old French manager, has been a journeyman in Africa over the last decade and a half and has also spent two years in charge of Uganda.

‘The Florist’, as he is called, took over the Leopards four years ago and has since coached them to fourth place at the 2023 edition of AFCON with an attractive brand of football.

Sébastien Desabre’s record as head coach:

• Matches: 462
• Wins: 207
• Draws: 134
• Losses: 121
• Win percentage: 44.8

Sébastien Desabre’s record as Portugal head coach:

• Matches: 48
• Wins: 25
• Draws: 13
• Losses: 10
• Win percentage: 52.08

What did Sébastien Desabre say before Portugal vs DR Congo?

“What we have to do is to deal with ​the pressure, the pressure of the first game. I want my ⁠team to play, so we’ll take risks. Those risks will be measured,” Desabre said.

“We also have a ‌great strength ⁠that we’ll be using on the pitch and we’re going to get started with our own specific style of play, and we are, of course, highly motivated, and we are excited to play against such a big team,” he added.

“We have 100 million Congolese people ​who will be watching us,” Desabre said. “Of course, we want to perform well. We want to show courage. ​And we’ll do our best on the pitch.”

Published on Jun 17, 2026