Nathan Mbala

Nathan Mbala (born 19 February 2008) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Metz.

Club career

Nathan Mbala was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo, before moving to Yverdon-les-Bains in Switzerland, where his father, Democratic Republic of the Congo international Biscotte Mbala, then played.

Mbala moved to France as a 4 years old, where he first played for US Forbach. On the summer 2025, he made the pre-season with the first team and delivered an assist for Cléo Mélières during the first friendly against US Mondorf.

As he had established himself as a regular goalscorer for the National 3 reserve, Mbala made his professional debut with Metz in a 3–0 away Coupe de France win over ASC Biesheim on 20 December 2025. He replaced the starting captain Gauthier Hein in the last few minutes of the game. He then was regularly selected by Stéphane Le Mignan in the first-team Ligue 1 squad, while some of Metz's leaders where away playing the Africa Cup of Nations.

After making his Ligue 1 debut on 1st February 2026 against Angers, Aged only 17 and 361 days, he became the third youngest goalscorer in the history of FC Metz, trailing only Babacar Gueye and Miralem Pjanić.

On 24 March 2026, Mbala signed his first contract with Metz, the youngster then appearing as one of the few bright spots of a team struggling to avoid relegation. Mbala switched to outfield player during his youth years.

Career statistics