Joel Ndala

Club career Manchester City Ndala played in the youth ranks at Port Vale, until he joined Manchester City in 2017, at the age of ten years-old, for a fee later reported to be £300,000. Ndala signed a professional contract with Manchester City in July 2022. He was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best first-year scholars in the Premier League in September 2022. He progressed through the Citizens ' youth ranks, impressing in the FA Youth Cup during the 2022–23 season. He had 25 goal involvements for Ben Wilkinson's U18 Premier League-winning side in the 2022–23 season and was called up to play under Brian Barry-Murphy in the UEFA Youth League. He was included in the senior squad that travelled to Saudi Arabia to play in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup. He helped the under-18 team to win the FA Youth Cup at the end of the 2023–24 season and also scored against senior opposition for the under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

On 3 September 2024, Ndala joined Dutch Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for an initial £5.4 million (with a 20% sell-on clause) that could rise to £8.4 million through add-ons. He was assigned to the reserve team Jong PSV and scored one goal in 12 Eerste Divisie games.

On 29 July 2025, Ndala joined Championship club Hull City on a season-long loan. He made his debut on 9 August, the opening day of the season, in a 0–0 away draw to Coventry City. He scored his first goal for the club in the First Round of the EFL Cup on 12 August when he came off the bench as a 76th-minute substitute for Nathan Tinsdale, in a 3–3 draw away at Wrexham. He said in November that he was enjoying the competition in Sergej Jakirović's squad and was learning a lot about the defensive side of the game. On 2 February, he was recalled from his loan at Hull City having played 19 games, scoring twice, before being sent on loan to Championship club Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of the 2025–26 season. He made his Sheffield Wednesday debut starting in the 4–0 defeat to Swansea City on 8 February 2026. It was reported that Ndala had turned up late to games against Millwall and Stoke City and faced disciplinary action, with Wednesday looking to terminate his loan early.

Cercle Brugge On 29 July 2026, Ndala signed for Belgian Pro League club Cercle Brugge on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

International career In August 2021 Ndala scored for the England under-16 team in a game against Scotland. He made his debut for the England under-18 side as a 16 year-old in September 2022.

Ndala was selected to represent England at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Iran at Jakarta International Stadium in November 2023. Their next group game saw him score a consolation during a defeat against Brazil. His third and last goal of the tournament came in their round of 16 elimination against Uzbekistan.

On 9 October 2024, Ndala made his U19 debut during a 2–1 defeat to Portugal in Marbella.

On 5 September 2025, Ndala made his U20 debut during a 2–1 defeat to Italy at the SMH Group Stadium.

Style of play After his performances at the U17 World Cup in 2023, Ndala was identified by ESPN as one of the stars of the tournament with "phenomenal change of pace and highly developed off-the-ball movement". Comparisons were drawn in style with Jérémy Doku.

Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

2022–23

2023–24

Jong PSV (loan) 2024–25 Premier League

Hull City (loan) 2025–26 Championship

Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 2025–26

Manchester City Academy U18 Premier League: 2021–22, 2022–23 Premier League 2: 2021–22, 2022–23 FA Youth Cup: 2023–24 U18 Premier League Cup: 2023–24