| M'Bala Nzola | |
| Birth Date: | 18 August 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Buco-Zau, Angola[1] |
| Height: | 1.85 m[2] |
| Position: | Forward |
| Currentclub: | Lens (on loan from Fiorentina) |
| Clubnumber: | 8 |
| Youthyears1: | 2010–2014 |
| Youthclubs1: | Troyes |
| Youthyears2: | 2014–2015 |
| Youthclubs2: | Académica |
| Years1: | 2015 |
| Clubs1: | Académica |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2015–2016 |
| Clubs2: | Sertanense |
| Caps2: | 25 |
| Goals2: | 7 |
| Years3: | 2016–2017 |
| Clubs3: | Virtus Francavilla |
| Caps3: | 33 |
| Goals3: | 11 |
| Years4: | 2017–2019 |
| Clubs4: | Carpi |
| Caps4: | 14 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2018–2019 |
| Clubs5: | → Trapani (loan) |
| Caps5: | 33 |
| Goals5: | 8 |
| Years6: | 2019–2020 |
| Clubs6: | Trapani |
| Caps6: | 12 |
| Goals6: | 1 |
| Years7: | 2020 |
| Clubs7: | → Spezia (loan) |
| Caps7: | 17 |
| Goals7: | 6 |
| Years8: | 2020–2023 |
| Clubs8: | Spezia |
| Caps8: | 77 |
| Goals8: | 26 |
| Years9: | 2023– |
| Clubs9: | Fiorentina |
| Caps9: | 33 |
| Goals9: | 3 |
| Years10: | 2024– |
| Clubs10: | → Lens (loan) |
| Caps10: | 0 |
| Goals10: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam1: | Angola |
| Nationalcaps1: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 2 |
| Club-Update: | 22:50, 23 May 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 23 March 2023 |
M'Bala Nzola (born 18 August 1996) is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Lens, on loan from club Fiorentina, and the Angola national team.
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]
Being born in Angola, but raised in France, Nzola was eligible for either country at international level.
In March 2021, some months after he expressed his desire to represent Angola,[10] he received his first call-up to the national team.[11] 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.
Born in Cabinda, an Angolan exclave, Nzola emigrated to France as a child.[12]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | 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 | 0 | – | 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 | 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 | 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 | 0 | 34 | 15 | ||||
| Total | 94 | 32 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 5 | 1 | 102 | 35 | |||||
| Fiorentina | 2023–24 | Serie A | 33 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 240 | 61 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 283 | 72 | |||
| 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.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2021 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 2 | 1 June 2022 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |