M'Bala Nzola (born 18 August 1996) is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Angola national team.
 Nzola with Virtus Francavilla in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 August 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Buco-Zau, Angola[1] | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fiorentina | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2014 | Troyes | ||
| 2014–2015 | Académica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015 | Académica | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Sertanense | 25 | (7) |
| 2016–2017 | Virtus Francavilla | 33 | (11) |
| 2017–2019 | Carpi | 14 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Trapani (loan) | 33 | (8) |
| 2019–2020 | Trapani | 12 | (1) |
| 2020 | → Spezia (loan) | 17 | (6) |
| 2020–2023 | Spezia | 77 | (26) |
| 2023– | Fiorentina | 33 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Angola | 6 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:50, 23 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2023 | |||
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 29 May 2024[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 | |
| Career total | 240 | 61 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 283 | 72 | ||
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
External links
- M'Bala Nzola at Soccerway