Mbwana Samatta

Mbwana Ally Samatta (born 23 December 1992) is a Tanzanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Le Havre.

Samatta began his career as a youth player for Tanzanian club African Lyon in 2008. He turned professional in 2010 with Simba Sports Club, where he played for only half of the season before moving to TP Mazembe, spending a total of five years with them, initially becoming a first-team regular. He was named the 2015 African based Player of the Year and finished the season as the top goalscorer of the CAF Champions League, as he helped TP Mazembe to win the title.

In January 2016, Samatta signed for Belgian side Genk, helping them to qualify for the UEFA Europa League and win the Belgian Pro League in 2019. His twenty-goal tally saw him finish the season as the top scorer of the league; he also won the Ebony Shoe award in Belgium for his outstanding season with Genk.

In January 2020, Samatta moved to Aston Villa, becoming the first (and only) Tanzanian player to both play and score in the Premier League.

Club career Samatta was a key figure during TP Mazembe's run to the final of the 2015 CAF Champions League, scoring seven goals in the process and finishing as the competition's top scorer. In their group stage match against Moghreb Tétouan, Samatta scored a memorable hat-trick to secure a place in the semi-finals where they were drawn against Sudanese side Al-Merrikh SC. Mazembe would go on to lift the cup after defeating Algerian side USM Alger in the final 4–1 on aggregate, with Samatta scoring a goal in both legs.

At the Glo-CAF Awards on 7 January 2016 at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, he became the first player from East Africa to be crowned the CAF African Player of the Year.

Genk In January 2016, after winning the prize for best African player on the continent, he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with KRC Genk. He was voted the 2017 Most Influential Young Tanzanian in a ranking poll by Avance Media

On 23 August 2018, Samatta scored a hat-trick against Brøndby IF in the Europa League for a 5–2 win.

During the 2018–19 season, he led the Belgian First Division A in scoring with 20 goals, as Genk finished the season as league winners. In May 2019 he was awarded with the Ebony Shoe award for his exploits during the campaign.

Aston Villa On 20 January 2020, Samatta signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Premier League club Aston Villa. In doing so, he became the first Tanzanian to sign for a Premier League club. The transfer fee paid to Genk was reported as £8.5 million. Samatta made his debut for the club 8 days later in Villa's 2–1 EFL Cup semi-final second-leg win over Leicester City, a result which sealed the club's place in the final of the competition.

On 1 February 2020, Samatta scored on his league debut for Aston Villa, in a 2–1 defeat to Bournemouth. This made him the first player from Tanzania to play, and subsequently score in the Premier League. On 1 March 2020, Samatta scored his only other goal for the club in the EFL Cup final against Manchester City, but went on to lose the game 2-1.

Fenerbahçe On 25 September 2020, Samatta joined Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe S.K. on an initial loan deal until the end of the season. As part of the deal, Samatta signed a four-year contract at the end of his loan spell in July 2021.

On 1 September 2021, Samatta joined Belgian side Royal Antwerp on a season-long loan.

On 16 August 2022, Samatta returned to Genk on loan, with an option to buy.

PAOK On 17 July 2023, Super League Greece side PAOK announced the signing of Samatta on a two-year contract, with an option for one year more.

Le Havre On 5 August 2025, Ligue 1 side Le Havre announced the signing of Samatta on a free transfer. The signing made Samatta the first Tanzanian signing for a Ligue 1 club.

International career On 13 June 2019, he was named by manager Emmanuel Amunike as one of the 23 in 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his debut in the competition on 23 June against Senegal in the round-robin stage.

Personal life Samatta is a Muslim. He made the umrah to Mecca in 2018 with his Genk teammate Omar Colley.

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

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals Simba 2010–11 Tanzanian Premier League

2011

2016–17 Premier League

Fenerbahçe (loan) 2020–21 Linafoot: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2013–14 DR Congo Super Cup: 2013, 2014 CAF Champions League: 2015

Genk Belgian Pro League: 2018–19 Belgian Super Cup: 2019

PAOK Super League Greece: 2023–24

Individual Linafoot Top scorer: 2012, 2013–14 African Inter-Club Player of the Year: 2015 CAF Team of the Year: 2015 CAF Champions League Top scorer: 2015 Ebony Shoe: 2019 Belgian First Division A Golden Shoe: 2018–19