Mbwana Samatta

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.

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 32)[2]
Place of birth	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s)	Striker
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)
2023–2025	PAOK	41	(6)
International career‡
2011–	Tanzania	83	(22)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:00, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

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.^[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

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

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] 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.^[20]

Fenerbahçe

On 25 September 2020, Samatta joined Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe S.K. on an initial loan deal until the end of the season.^[21] As part of the deal, Samatta signed a four-year contract at the end of his loan spell in July 2021.^[22]

On 1 September 2021, Samatta joined Belgian side Royal Antwerp on a season-long loan.^[23]

On 16 August 2022, Samatta returned to Genk on loan, with an option to buy.^[24]

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.^[25]

International career

On 13 June 2019, he was named by manager Emmanuel Amunike as one of the 23 in 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.^[26] He made his debut in the competition on 23 June against Senegal in the round-robin stage.

Samatta (right) in 2024

Personal life

Samatta is a Muslim. He made the umrah to Mecca in 2018 with his Genk teammate Omar Colley.^[27]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 10 April 2025

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[28][29]	Tanzanian Premier League	25	13			—		2[c]	2	—		27	15
TP Mazembe	2011[28][29]	Linafoot	8	2			—				—		8	2
	2012[28][29]		29	23			—		6[c]	6	—		35	29
	2013[28][29]		37	20			—		6[c]	6	2[d]	2	45	28
	2013–14[28][29]		29	15			—		9[c]	3	—		38	18
	2014–15[29]						—		7[c]	8	—		7	8
	2015–16[29]						—		0	0	—		0	0
	Total		103	60			—		28	23	2	2	133	85
Genk	2015–16[30]	Belgian Pro League	18	5	0	0	—		—		—		18	5
	2016–17[30]		37	13	4	2	—		18[e]	5	—		59	20
	2017–18[30]		31	8	4	0	—		—		—		35	8
	2018–19[30]		38	23	1	0	—		12[e]	9	—		51	32
	2019–20[30]		20	7	1	0	—		6[f]	3	1[g]	0	28	10
	Total		144	56	10	2	—		36	17	1	0	191	75
Aston Villa	2019–20[31]	Premier League	14	1	0	0	2	1	—		—		16	2
Fenerbahçe (loan)	2020–21[29]	Süper Lig	27	5	3	1	—		—		—		30	6
Fenerbahçe	2021–22[29]		3	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		3	0
Royal Antwerp (loan)	2021–22[30]	Belgian Pro League	32	5	1	1	—		6[e]	3	—		39	9
Genk (loan)	2022–23[30]		33	6	3	0	—		—		—		36	6
PAOK	2023–24	Super League Greece	29	2	3	0	—		12[h]	1	—		44	3
	2024–25		11	4	4	0	—		4[i]	1	—		19	5
	Total		40	6	7	0	—		16	2	—		63	8
Career total			421	152	24	4	2	1	92	50	3	2	540	206

1. Includes Belgian Cup, FA Cup, Turkish Cup, Greek Football Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearances in CAF Champions League
4. Appearances in CAF Confederation Cup
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
6. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
7. Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
8. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
9. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 19 November 2024^[28]

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	8	0
Total		83	22

Scores and results list Tanzania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Samatta goal.^[28]

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

TP Mazembe^[32]

• Linafoot: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2013–14
• DR Congo Super Cup: 2013, 2014
• CAF Champions League: 2015^[33][34]

Genk

• Belgian Pro League: 2018–19^[35]
• Belgian Super Cup: 2019^[36]

PAOK

• Super League Greece: 2023–24^[37]

Individual

• Linafoot Top scorer: 2012, 2013–14
• African Inter-Club Player of the Year: 2015
• CAF Team of the Year: 2015^[38]
• CAF Champions League Top scorer: 2015^[4]
• Ebony Shoe: 2019^[13]
• Belgian First Division A Golden Shoe: 2018–19^[36]