 Nzola withVirtus Francavilla in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1996-08-18)18 August 1996 (age 29) | ||
| Place of birth | Buco-Zau, Angola[1] | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sassuolo (on loan fromFiorentina) | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| 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) |
| 2024–2025 | →Lens (loan) | 21 | (6) |
| 2025–2026 | →Pisa (loan) | 16 | (3) |
| 2026– | →Sassuolo (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Angola | 15 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 29 December 2025 | |||
M'Bala Nzola (born 18 August 1996) is an Angolan professionalfootballer who plays as aforward for ItalianSerie A clubSassuolo, on loan fromFiorentina, and theAngola national team.
On 28 January 2015, Nzola made his professional debut withAcadémica de Coimbra in a2014–15 Taça da Liga match againstPorto, coming on as a substitute in the 4–1 away loss.[citation needed]
On 7 August 2016, he joinedLega Pro clubVirtus Francavilla.[3]
On 7 August 2017, after helping Virtus Francavilla reach the Lega Propromotion play-offs, Nzola signed a four-year deal withCarpi.[4]
On 16 August 2018, he joinedSerie C clubTrapani 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 toSerie B.[5] 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 clubSpezia on loan with an option to purchase.[6]
On 7 October 2020, Nzola signed with Spezia a three-year contract.[7] On 10 August 2023, he joined fellow Italian sideFiorentina.[8]
On 7 August 2025, Nzola was loaned byPisa, with an option to buy.[9] On 31 January 2026, he moved on a new loan toSassuolo, also with an option to buy.[10]
Being born in Angola, but raised in France, Nzola was eligible for either country at international level.[11]
In March 2021, some months after he expressed his desire to representAngola,[12] he received his first call-up to the national team.[13] Some days after, on 25 March 2021, he made his debut for thePalancas Negras againstGambia, in aqualifying match for theAfrica Cup of Nations.
In December 2023, he was included in the list of the twenty-seven Angolan players selected byPedro Gonçalves to compete in the2023 Africa Cup of Nations, but Nzola declined the call-up.[14] He was later included among the players selected to take part in the2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[15]
Born inCabinda, an Angolanexclave, Nzola emigrated to France as a child.[11]
| 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 | |||
| Spezia 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 (loan) | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 1 | – | 1[h] | 0 | — | 23 | 7 | ||
| Pisa (loan) | 2025–26 | Serie A | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 17 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 277 | 70 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 322 | 82 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | 2021 | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 15 | 3 | |
| 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 |
| 3 | 9 September 2025 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola |  Mauritius | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
 | ||