M'Bala Nzola (born 18 August 1996) is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lens, on loan from Serie A club Fiorentina, and the Angola national team.
Club career
On 28 January 2015, Nzola made his professional debut with Académica de Coimbra in a 2014–15 Taça da Liga match against FC Porto, coming on as a substitute in the 4–1 away loss.[3]
On 7 August 2016, he joined Lega Pro club Virtus Francavilla Calcio.[4]
On 7 August 2017, after helping Virtus Francavilla Calcio reach the Lega Pro promotion play-offs, Nzola signed a four-year deal with Carpi F.C. 1909.[5]
On 16 August 2018, he joined Serie C club Trapani on a season-long loan. Trapani held the obligation to purchase him from Carpi at the end of the loan term in case of Trapani's promotion to Serie B.[6] On 15 June he scored the first goal for the Trapani victory over Piacenza, and after that Trapani was promoted in Serie B after two years of Serie C.
On 13 January 2020, he joined Serie B club Spezia on loan with an option to purchase.[7]
On 7 October 2020, Nzola signed with Spezia a three-year contract.[8] On 10 August 2023, he joined fellow Italian side Fiorentina.[9]
International career
Being born in Angola, but raised in France, Nzola was eligible for either country at international level.[10]
In March 2021, some months after he expressed his desire to represent Angola,[11] he received his first call-up to the national team.[12] Some days after, on 25 March 2021, he made his debut for the Palancas Negras against Gambia, in a qualifying match for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Personal life
Born in Cabinda, an Angolan exclave, Nzola emigrated to France as a child.[10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 23 February 2025[13]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Académica | 2014–15 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 1 | |||
| Sertanense | 2015–16 | Campeonato de Portugal | 25 | 7 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 26 | 8 | |||
| Virtus Francavilla | 2016–17 | Lega Pro | 33 | 11 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 2[c] | – | 38 | 12 | ||
| 2017–18 | Lega Pro | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 11 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 39 | 13 | ||||
| Carpi | 2017–18 | Serie B | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 15 | 1 | |||
| Trapani (loan) | 2018–19 | Lega Pro | 29 | 7 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 4[c] | 1 | 36 | 8 | ||
| Trapani | 2019–20 | Serie B | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 14 | 2 | |||
| Spezia (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie B | 17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 4[d] | 1 | 21 | 7 | ||
| Spezia | 2020–21 | Serie A | 25 | 11 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 25 | 11 | |||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 22 | 2 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 31 | 13 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 1[e] | 0 | 34 | 15 | |||
| Total | 94 | 32 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 5 | 1 | 102 | 35 | ||||
| Fiorentina | 2023–24 | Serie A | 33 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 11[f] | 3 | 1[g] | 0 | 47 | 7 | |
| Lens | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | – | 1[h] | 0 | — | 20 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 258 | 67 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 302 | 79 | ||
- ^ Includes Taça de Portugal, Coppa Italia
- ^ Includes Taça da Liga
- ^ a b Appearance in Lega Pro promotion play-offs
- ^ Appearances in Serie B promotion play-offs
- ^ Appearance in Serie A relegation play-off
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 23 March 2023[14]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | 2021 | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Angola's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nzola goal.[14]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2021 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola |  Egypt |
2–0 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 1 June 2022 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola |  Central African Republic |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
References
- ^ "Mbala Nzola deseja representar os Palancas Negras". Luanda Post (in Portuguese). 3 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "M'Bala Nzola". Spezia Calcio. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Porto 4-1 Académica". ZeroZero. 16 September 2015.
- ^ "M'Bala Nzola è un nuovo giocatore della Virtus Francavilla Calcio" (in Italian). Virtus Francavilla Calcio. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Mercato: Nzola è ufficialmente biancorosso" (in Italian). Carpi F.C. 1909. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ "L'attaccante 'Nzola è un calciatore del Trapani" (in Italian). Trapani. 16 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
- ^ "Mercato: colpo per l'attacco. Ecco M'Bala Nzola" (Press release) (in Italian). Spezia. 13 January 2020.
- ^ "UFFICIALE: Spezia, torna Nzola: ha firmato per tre stagioni".
- ^ "Nzola è un nuovo calciatore della Fiorentina" (in Italian). ACF Fiorentina. 10 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Finale playoff: da Gyasi a Nzola, gli (altri) talenti da seguire in Spezia-Frosinone". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Tinfena, Gianluca (24 November 2020). ""Da bimbo scappavo per andare a giocare Il mio sogno? Vestire la maglia dell'Angola"". La Nazione (in Italian). Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "CAN 2022: seleccionador nacional anunciou hoje a lista dos convocados em conferência de imprensa" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 12 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ M'Bala Nzola at Soccerway. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ a b "M'Bala Nzola". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
External links
- M'Bala Nzola at Soccerway