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Mbwana Samatta

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Mbwana Samatta
Samatta with Genk in 2019
Personal information
Full name Mbwana Ally Samatta[1]
Date of birth (1992-12-23) 23 December 1992 (age 31)[2]
Place of birth Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 PAOK
Number 70
Youth career
2008–2010 African Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Simba SC 25 (13)
2011–2016 TP Mazembe 103 (60)
2016–2020 Genk 144 (56)
2020 Aston Villa 14 (1)
2020–2023 Fenerbahçe 30 (5)
2021–2022 → Antwerp (loan) 32 (5)
2022–2023 → Genk (loan) 33 (6)
2023– PAOK 30 (2)
International career‡
2011– Tanzania 81 (22)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:30, 15 September 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:00, 15 October 2024 (UTC)

Mbwana Ally Samatta (born 23 December 1992) is a Tanzanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Super League Greece club PAOK, and captains the Tanzania national team.

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

[edit]

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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6][7]

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.[8] Mbwana garnered a total of 127 points, ahead of his TP Mazembe teammate and DR Congo goalkeeper Robert Kidiaba, who amassed 88 points, and Algerian Baghdad Bounedjah trailed in third place with 63 points.[8]

Genk

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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.[9] He was voted the 2017 Most Influential Young Tanzanian in a ranking poll by Avance Media[10][11]

On 23 August 2018, Samatta scored a hat-trick against Brøndby IF in the Europa League for a 5–2 win.[12]

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.[13]

Aston Villa

[edit]

On 20 January 2020, Samatta signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Premier League club Aston Villa.[14] In doing so, he became the first Tanzanian to sign for a Premier League club.[15] The transfer fee paid to Genk was reported as £8.5 million.[16][17] 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.[18]

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.[19]

Fenerbahçe

[edit]

On 25 September 2020, Samatta joined Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe S.K. on an initial loan deal until the end of the season.[20] As part of the deal, Samatta signed a four-year contract at the end of his loan spell in July 2021.[21]

On 1 September 2021, Samatta joined Belgian side Royal Antwerp on a season-long loan.[22]

On 16 August 2022, Samatta returned to Genk on loan, with an option to buy.[23]

PAOK

[edit]

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.[24]

International career

[edit]

On 13 June 2019, he was named by manager Emmanuel Amunike as one of the 23 in 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.[25] He made his debut in the competition on 23 June against Senegal in the round-robin stage.

Samatta (right) in 2024

Personal life

[edit]

Samatta is a Muslim. He made the umrah to Mecca in 2018 with his Genk teammate Omar Colley.[26]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 24 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Simba 2010–11[27][28] Tanzanian Premier League 25 13 — 2[c] 2 — 27 15
TP Mazembe 2011[27][28] Linafoot 8 2 — — 8 2
2012[27][28] Linafoot 29 23 — 6[c] 6 — 35 29
2013[27][28] Linafoot 37 20 — 6[c] 6 2[d] 2 45 28
2013–14[27][28] Linafoot 29 15 — 9[c] 3 — 38 18
2014–15[28] Linafoot — 7[c] 8 — 7 8
2015–16[28] Linafoot — 0 0 — 0 0
Total 103 60 0 0 28 23 2 2 133 85
Genk 2015–16[29] Belgian Pro League 18 5 0 0 — — — 18 5
2016–17[29] Belgian Pro League 37 13 4 2 — 18[e] 5 — 59 20
2017–18[29] Belgian Pro League 31 8 4 0 — — — 35 8
2018–19[29] Belgian Pro League 38 23 1 0 — 12[e] 9 — 51 32
2019–20[29] Belgian Pro League 20 7 1 0 — 6[f] 3 1[g] 0 28 10
Total 144 56 10 2 0 0 36 17 1 0 191 75
Aston Villa 2019–20[30] Premier League 14 1 0 0 2 1 — — 16 2
Fenerbahçe (loan) 2020–21[28] Süper Lig 27 5 3 1 — — — 30 6
Fenerbahçe 2021–22[28] Süper Lig 3 0 0 0 — 0 0 — 3 0
Royal Antwerp (loan) 2021–22[29] Belgian Pro League 32 5 1 1 — 6[e] 3 — 39 9
Genk (loan) 2022–23[29] Belgian Pro League 33 6 3 0 — — — 36 6
PAOK 2023–24 Super League Greece 25 2 3 0 — 12[h] 1 — 40 3
Career total 406 147 20 4 2 1 88 49 3 2 517 201
  1. ^ Includes Belgian Cup, FA Cup, Turkish Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e Appearances in CAF Champions League
  4. ^ Appearances in CAF Confederation Cup
  5. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  7. ^ Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
  8. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

[edit]
As of match played 15 October 2024[27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Tanzania 2011 9 2
2012 5 0
2013 10 6
2014 3 1
2015 7 2
2016 4 1
2017 4 3
2018 5 2
2019 10 4
2020 1 0
2021 6 0
2022 5 1
2023 6 0
2024 6 0
Total 81 22
Scores and results list Tanzania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Samatta goal.[27]
List of international goals scored by Mbwana Samatta
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 26 March 2011 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Central African Republic 2–1 2–1 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2 3 September 2011 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Algeria 1–0 1–1 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3 11 January 2013 Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  Ethiopia 1–1 1–2 Friendly
4 6 February 2013 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Cameroon 1–0 1–0 Friendly
5 24 March 2013  Morocco 2–0 3–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 3–0
7 4 December 2013 Afraha Stadium, Nakuru, Kenya  Burundi 1–0 1–0 2013 CECAFA Cup
8 12 December 2013 Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya  Zambia 1–1 1–1 2013 CECAFA Cup
9 3 August 2014 Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique  Mozambique 1–1 1–2 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
10 7 October 2015 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Malawi 1–0 2–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 14 November 2015  Algeria 2–0 2–2 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
12 23 March 2016 Stade Omnisports Idriss Mahamat Ouya, N'Djamena, Chad  Chad 1–0 1–0 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
13 25 March 2017 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Botswana 1–0 2–0 Friendly
14 2–0
15 10 June 2017 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Lesotho 1–0 1–1 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
16 27 March 2018 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  DR Congo 1–0 2–0 Friendly
17 16 October 2018 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Cape Verde 2–0 2–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
18 16 June 2019 Olympic Sports Center, Cairo, Egypt  Zimbabwe 1–1 1–1 Friendly
19 27 June 2019 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt  Kenya 2–1 2–3 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
20 8 September 2019 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Burundi 1–0 1–1 (3–0 p) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
21 19 November 2019 Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir, Tunisia  Libya 1–0 1–2 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
22 23 March 2022 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Central African Republic 2–0 3–1 Friendly

Honours

[edit]

TP Mazembe[31]

Genk

Aston Villa

PAOK

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Updated squad lists for 2019/20 Premier League". Premier League. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Mbwana Samatta". Jupiler Pro League (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Mbwana Samatta: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b "TP Mazembe beat USM Alger to win African Champions League". BBC Sport. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  5. ^ Gondwe, Kennedy (20 September 2015). "Mazembe's Tanzania star Samatta harbours European hopes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Advantage Mazembe in CAF final after away win". CAF. 1 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Mazembe beat USMA to reach fifth heaven". CAF. 8 November 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Tanzania's Samatta is African Player of the Year Based in Africa". www.kawowo.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Mbwana Samatta signs for Belgian side Genk". BBC Sport. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  10. ^ "Footballer turned Insta-influencer". BBC Sport. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Mbwana Samatta voted most influential young Tanzanian". Azam. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  12. ^ Tosin Morakinyo (23 August 2018). "Mbwana Samatta's hat-trick fires Genk past Broendby IF". Goal.com. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  13. ^ a b Barrie, Mohamed Fajah (7 May 2019). "Tanzania's Mbwana Samatta wins Belgium's Ebony Shoe award". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  14. ^ Styles, Greg (20 January 2020). "Samatta signs for Aston Villa". Aston Villa Football Club. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  15. ^ Kwenda, Stanley (3 February 2020). "Mbawana Samatta thrilled to be Tanzanian trailblazer". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Mbwana Samatta: Aston Villa sign Genk's Tanzania striker for £8.5m". BBC Sport. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Aston Villa confirm signing of Mbwana Samatta". Express and Star. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester (3-2 agg): Wembley for Villa after Trezeguet goal in stoppage-time". Sky Sports. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  19. ^ Oludare, Shina (1 February 2020). "Aston Villa's Samatta sets four records on Premier League debut". Goal.com.
  20. ^ "Villa's Samatta joins Fenerbahce on loan". BBC Sport.
  21. ^ Chuma, Festus (3 July 2021). "Mbwana Samatta Becomes Permanent Fenerbahce Player". Ducor Sports. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  22. ^ Oludare, Shina (1 September 2021). "Mbwana Samatta: Royal Antwerp sign Fenerbahce striker | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  23. ^ "Welkom terug Ally Samatta". KRC Genk (in Dutch). 16 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Παίκτης του ΠΑΟΚ ο Άλι Σαμάτα" (in Greek). PAOK FC. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Egyptian Premier League duo called-up by Tanzania for AFCON".
  26. ^ Kaorata, Salum (30 May 2018). "Picha: Mbwana Samatta atua Mecca kufanya Umrah". Bongo5.com (in Swahili). Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g "Mbwana Samatta". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mbwana Samatta at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g "Mbwana Samatta » Club matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Games played by Mbwana Samatta in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  31. ^ "Mbwana Samatta is carrying Tanzania's torch in Europe". First Touch. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  32. ^ "Advantage Mazembe in CAF final after away win". CAF. 1 November 2015.
  33. ^ "Mazembe beat USMA to reach fifth heaven". CAF. 8 November 2015.
  34. ^ "Tanzania captain Mbwana Samatta linked with move to Middlesbrough". Goal. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  35. ^ a b "Landskampioen Genk opent seizoen met Supercup-winst tegen KV Mechelen". Sporza. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  36. ^ McNulty, Phil (1 March 2020). "Aston Villa 1–2 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  37. ^ "ΠΑΟΚ 4Χ4 και... 1,2, 4 ως αουτσάιντερ: από 75-68 το έκανε 78-80!". Gazzetta (in Greek). 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  38. ^ "Aubameyang, Samatta Rule Africa". CAF. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
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