.jpg) Nsue withBirmingham City in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emilio Nsue López[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1989-09-30)30 September 1989 (age 36)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Palma de Mallorca, Spain[3] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[4] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Intercity | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Atlético Baleares | |||
| 2004–2006 | Mallorca | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Mallorca B | 55 | (26) |
| 2008–2014 | Mallorca | 142 | (13) |
| 2008–2009 | →Castellón (loan) | 38 | (7) |
| 2009–2010 | →Real Sociedad (loan) | 33 | (5) |
| 2014–2017 | Middlesbrough | 70 | (3) |
| 2017–2018 | Birmingham City | 36 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | APOEL | 26 | (10) |
| 2019–2020 | Apollon Limassol | 14 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | APOEL | 27 | (3) |
| 2022 | Tuzla City | 7 | (1) |
| 2022– | Intercity | 106 | (22) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2005 | Spain U16 | 3 | (3) |
| 2005–2006 | Spain U17 | 9 | (5) |
| 2006–2008 | Spain U19 | 21 | (7) |
| 2009 | Spain U20 | 10 | (4) |
| 2009–2011 | Spain U21 | 8 | (1) |
| 2013– | Equatorial Guinea | 51 | (23) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:00, 31 December 2025 (UTC) | |||
Emilio Nsue López (born 30 September 1989) is a professionalfootballer who plays forSegunda Federación clubIntercity. Born in Spain, he is thecaptain and all-time leading scorer of theEquatorial Guinea national team. A versatile player, he plays mainly as aright-back but can also play as awinger.
Nsue began his career atMallorca, where he appeared in 153 competitive games and fourLa Liga seasons, and spent time on loan atReal Sociedad andCastellón. In 2014, he joined English clubMiddlesbrough, and helped them gain promotion to thePremier League in 2016. Nsue signed forBirmingham City in January 2017, and a year later moved into Cypriot football, spending 18 months withAPOEL, a season withApollon Limassol, and another season with APOEL. After six months without a club, he joinedBosnian Premier League clubTuzla City in 2022, before joining Spanish club Intercity later in the same year.
Nsue was born in Spain to an Equatoguinean father and a Spanish mother and initially played for Spain at youth level, winning European championships atunder-19 level in 2007 andunder-21 level in 2011. In 2013, he made his senior international debut forEquatorial Guinea, his father's country, despite not having Equatoguinean nationality nor permission to switch allegiances.[5] He played in fourAfrica Cup of Nations tournaments in2015,2021,2023, and2025, finishing as the top scorer in 2023 and receiving the Golden Boot as a result.[6] In 2024, FIFA judges ruled that Nsue was ineligible to play for the Equatorial Guinea national team for his entire career and handed him a playing ban.[5] However, his official change of international allegiance to Equatorial Guinea was approved by FIFA the following year.[7]
Nsue was born inPalma, Majorca, in theBalearic Islands, and began his football career as aforward in the youth system ofMallorca. He made his professional debut for the club on 3 February 2008, playing the last few minutes of a 1–1 draw atVillarreal.[8] He added a few more minutes the following week, in a goalless home draw withAlmería.[9]
For2008–09, Nsue was loaned toCastellón of theSegunda División.[10] Regularly used in a comfortable campaign[clarification needed] for theValencians, he scored twice in a 4–1 win at home toLevante on 18 October 2008.[11]
Nsue joined another second-tier club,Real Sociedad, on loan for the2009–10 season.[12] Although rarely a starter, he was an important member of the attack as theBasque team returned toLa Liga after a three-year absence.[citation needed]
Nsue returned to Mallorca for2010–11 and began the season in the starting eleven, the first match being a 0–0 home draw withReal Madrid.[13] On 3 October 2010 he scored his first competitive goal for the club, heading in from a corner in a 1–1 draw atBarcelona.[14] He appeared in all 38 league games and netted four times as his team narrowly avoided relegation.[citation needed]
In2011–12 Nsue played in several matches as an attackingright back, and totalled nearly 2,000 minutes of action (20 starts) to help Mallorca rank eighth.[citation needed] After conversations with managerJoaquín Caparrós during pre-season, it was agreed that he would startthe following campaign in that position.[15]
On 1 August 2014, Nsue joined EnglishFootball League Championship clubMiddlesbrough, signing a three-year contract as afree agent. He was signed byAitor Karanka,[16] who knew him from the Spanish youth set-up.[17] Eight days later he made his debut, coming on as asubstitute forAlbert Adomah for the last 23 minutes of a 2–0 win overBirmingham City at theRiverside Stadium.[18] On 12 August he made his first start, playing the whole of a 3–0 win atOldham Athletic in the first round of the2014–15 League Cup.[19]
Boro reached theplay-off final atWembley on 25 May 2015. They lost 2–0 toNorwich City, and Nsue played the second half in place ofDean Whitehead after both goals had already been conceded.[20] Despite Karanka's insistence that the player would only be used in defence as an emergency procedure,[21] he played much ofhis second season at right back.[22] On 28 November 2015, he scored his first goal in English football to complete a 2–0 win atHuddersfield Town.[23] On 15 December, he netted the only goal of a home win overBurnley that put Middlesbrough top of the table.[24]
Nsue played 37 of 46 league games in 2015–16 as Boro achieved automatic promotion to thePremier League. He played the first three undefeated matches in the top flight, before being dropped forAntonio Barragán.[25]
Nsue signed a three-and-a-half-year contract withBirmingham City of the Championship on 18 January 2017;[26] the fee, officially undisclosed, was believed by theBirmingham Mail to be £1m with a further £1m in add-ons.[27] He made his debut in the starting eleven for the league visit to Norwich City on 28 January, playing at right back; Birmingham lost 2–0.[28][29] He was an unused substitute for the next match, but appeared in every match thereafter, and "single-handedly tred to drag Blues up the pitch"[30] in the final fixture of the season, away toBristol City, which his team needed to win to avoid relegation.[31] His only goal of the campaign came againstQueens Park Rangers on 18 February instoppage time in a 4–1 home defeat.[28][32] Changes of management and personnel, and the need to stabilise a struggling team, meant Nsue was no longer a first choice in the 2017–18 side. He played regularly underHarry Redknapp's management in the early part of the season, butSteve Cotterill preferred the more defensiveMaxime Colin at right back, and in the January 2018 transfer window, Nsue was allowed to leave.[30]
Nsue signed a two-and-a-half-year deal withCypriot First Division championsAPOEL in January 2018; the fee was undisclosed.[33] He went straight into the starting eleven for the visit toDoxa on 14 January; his headed goal after 26 minutes was Apoel's third in an 8–0 win.[34] He made 26 league appearances in his first 13 months with the club,[35] before a dispute with managerPaolo Tramezzani led to his contract being terminated for disciplinary reasons.[36]
Having spent the2019–20 season with another First Division club,Apollon Limassol, Nsue returned to APOEL in September 2020 on a one-year contract.[37]
Having been a free agent since leaving APOEL at the end of the 2020–21 season,[38] Nsue signed forBosnian Premier League clubTuzla City on 9 February 2022 until the end of the season.[39]
He made his debut for the club on 26 February, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a 1–1 away draw against city rivalsSloboda.[40] On 12 March 2022, he scored his first goal for Tuzla City in his fourth appearance in a 2–1 away win overVelež Mostar in the Bosnian Premier League.[41] Only two months after joining the club, Nsue left Tuzla City in April 2022.[42]
On 17 June 2022, Nsue became the first signing ofIntercity for the 2022–23 season, signing a two-year contract.[43]
Nsue represented his native Spain at all under-age levels. He was a member of theunder-17 squad for the2006 European Championships, but was injured in their opening match and took no further part in the finals.[44] He started all five matches asSpain's under-19s won the2007 European Championships,[9][45] and was again part of the squad for thefollowing year's tournament. Spain failed to progress past the group stage, losing to bothGermany andHungary – according toUEFA's technical report, "one of the poignant images of the tournament was provided by striker Emilio Nsue who was so upset by missed chances that he played the closing minutes [against Hungary] weeping disconsolately."[46] He scored twice in a 4–0 defeat ofBulgaria in the third group match that meant they still qualified for the2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[47] Nsue played in two of the three group stage matches, scoring twice in an 8–0 win againstTahiti, and played the whole of the round of 16 match in which Spain were eliminated byItaly.[48] Nsue made hisunder-21 debut in 2009. He was part of the2011 European title-winning squad, but appeared only once, as a substitute in the group stages against theCzech Republic.[49][50]
Nsue's father hailed fromEbibeyin,[51] He claimed to have turned down an invitation to represent the country at the2012 Africa Cup of Nations as he wanted to be a part of theSpanish team for theOlympics, but he did not make the final cut.[52] In March 2013, he signed a contract with theEquatoguinean Football Federation (FEGUIFUT), committing himself to attend all call-ups in which he was included, all expenses paid.[53] However, Nsue did not gain Equatoguinean nationality until after playing official matches for Spain and did not ask FIFA forpermission to switch allegiances.[5]
He scored on his debut for Equatorial Guinea in an unofficialfriendly withBenin on 21 March 2013; hecaptained the team and played the first 45 minutes.[54] He was again captain on his first competitive appearance, when he scored ahat-trick in a 4–3 win overCape Verde in a2014 World Cup qualifier.[55]FIFA later declared him ineligible for that match and for the return fixture, awarding both games to Cape Verde by a 3–0 scoreline.[56]
Nsue continued to play for Equatorial Guinea despite FIFA declaring his ineligibility.[5] He captained Equatorial Guinea's team as they hosted and finished fourth in the2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored the tournament's opening goal in a 1–1 draw with theRepublic of the Congo on 17 January at theEstadio de Bata.[57]
Nsue also captained Equatorial Guinea at the delayed2023 Africa Cup of Nations. On 18th January 2024, in the secondgroup stage game of the competition, he became the 17h[a][58] and oldest[b][59] player to score ahat-trick in theAfrica Cup of Nations, after scoring three goals againstGuinea-Bissau.[60] He finished the group stage as top scorer of the competition with five goals.[61] In the round of 16 match againstGuinea, he missed a penalty with the score deadlocked at goalless draw; however, the opponent managed to clinch the victory in stoppage time.[62] However, he eventually managed to win the "Golden Boot" as thetop scorer for the tournament.[63] Following the tournament, Nsue was suspended indefinitely by the FEGUIFUT after he was involved in "several episodes of serious indiscipline".[64] In response, he made a live broadcast on his Instagram account, accompanied byIban Salvador (also suspended), where he referred to various sport officials as, "suckers, cancers and corrupt."[65]
On 24 May 2024, Nsue was once again ruled as ineligible by FIFA.[66] He had allegedly use a fraudulent Equatoguinean passport in which it is stated that he was born inMalabo, instead ofPalma de Mallorca.[67] In June 2024, FIFA judges ruled that Nsue was never eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea throughout his entire career.[5] He was ruled to have continued playing for Equatorial Guinea "while undoubtedly knowing that he was ineligible" and was given a further six-month ban from playing international matches.[5]
On 5 March 2025, Nsue's request to change allegiances was accepted by FIFA, clearing him to play for Equatorial Guinea.[7][68]
On 24 December 2025, he played the first2025 Africa Cup of Nationsgroup stage againstBurkina Faso, to become at 36 years 2 months and 24 days the oldest Equatoguinean to feature in theAfrica Cup of Nations.[69]
On 31 December 2025, in the third2025 Africa Cup of Nationsgroup stage againstAlgeria, he netted a goal to become at 36 years 3 months and 1 dayEquatorial Guinea’s oldest goalscorer ever.[70]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[c] | League cup[d] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mallorca | 2007–08[71] | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11[71] | 38 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 42 | 6 | ||||
| 2011–12[71] | 30 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 4 | ||||
| 2012–13[71] | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 2 | ||||
| 2013–14[71] | Segunda División | 40 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 4 | |||
| Total | 142 | 13 | 11 | 3 | — | — | 153 | 16 | ||||
| Castellón (loan) | 2008–09[71] | Segunda División | 38 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 41 | 8 | ||
| Real Sociedad (loan) | 2009–10[71] | Segunda División | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 5 | ||
| Middlesbrough | 2014–15[72] | Championship | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| 2015–16[73] | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 46 | 3 | |||
| 2016–17[28] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 70 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 80 | 3 | ||
| Birmingham City | 2016–17[28] | Championship | 18 | 1 | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18[74] | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Total | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | |||
| APOEL | 2017–18[35] | Cypriot First Division | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 7 | ||
| 2018–19[35] | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[f] | 0 | 13 | 3 | |||
| Total | 26 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 31 | 10 | |||
| Apollon Limassol | 2019–20[35] | Cypriot First Division | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 2[f] | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| APOEL | 2019–20[35] | Cypriot First Division | 27 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | 3[f] | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| Tuzla City | 2021–22[35] | Bosnian Premier League | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 2 | ||
| Intercity | 2022–23[35] | Spanish Primera Federación | 29 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 5 | ||
| 2023–24[35] | 30 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 11 | ||||
| 2024–25[35] | 31 | 3 | 31 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2025–26[35] | Segunda Federación | 16 | 3 | 16 | 3 | |||||||
| Total | 106 | 22 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 109 | 22 | ||||
| Career total | 499 | 66 | 32 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 551 | 71 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| —[a] | 24 March 2013 | Estadio de Malabo,Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Cape Verde | 1–0 | 0–3[b] | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| —[a] | 2–1 | |||||
| —[a] | 3–2 | |||||
| 1 | 17 January 2015 | Estadio de Bata,Bata, Equatorial Guinea |  Congo | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 2 | 14 June 2015 | Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea |  Benin | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 4 September 2016 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  South Sudan | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 9 October 2017 | Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea |  Mauritius | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3–1 | |||||
| 6 | 8 September 2018 | Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea |  Sudan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7 | 22 March 2019 | Al-Hilal Stadium,Omdurman, Sudan | Sudan | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 8 | 2–1 | |||||
| 9 | 25 March 2019 | King Fahd International Stadium,Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia | 1–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 10 | 2–3 | |||||
| 11 | 8 September 2019 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | South Sudan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 25 March 2021 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Tanzania | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 13 | 7 October 2021 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Zambia | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 14 | 28 March 2023 | Obed Itani Chilume Stadium,Francistown, Botswana |  Botswana | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 15 | 6 September 2023 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Tunisia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| —[a] | 15 November 2023 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Namibia | 1–0 | 0–3[c] | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| —[a] | 20 November 2023 | Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex,Monrovia, Liberia |  Liberia | 1–0 | 0–3[c] | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 18 January 2024 | Alassane Ouattara Stadium,Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Guinea-Bissau | 1–0 | 4–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 17 | 3–1 | |||||
| 18 | 4–1 | |||||
| 19 | 22 January 2024 | Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Ivory Coast | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 20 | 3–0 | |||||
| 21 | 21 March 2025 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 9 June 2025 | Marrakesh Stadium,Marrakesh, Morocco |  Cameroon | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 23 | 31 December 2025 | Moulay El Hassan Stadium,Rabat, Morocco |  Algeria | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |
Spain U19
Spain U20
Spain U21
Individual
Equatorial Guinea squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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