Marvelous Nakamba

Marvelous Nakamba (born 19 January 1994) is a Zimbabwean professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Luton Town and the Zimbabwe national team.

Marvelous Nakamba
Nakamba in 2016
Personal information
Full name Marvelous Nakamba[1]
Date of birth (1994-01-19) 19 January 1994[2]
Place of birth Hwange, Zimbabwe
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Luton Town
Number 13
Youth career
0000–2008 Highlanders
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 Bantu Rovers
2012–2014 Nancy II 32 (1)
2014 Nancy 2 (0)
2014–2017 Vitesse 69 (2)
2017–2019 Club Brugge 53 (0)
2019–2023 Aston Villa 58 (0)
2023 → Luton Town (loan) 17 (0)
2023– Luton Town 7 (0)
International career‡
2012 Zimbabwe U20
2015– Zimbabwe 26 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 November 2021 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Born in Hwange near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Nakamba made his senior debut with local team Bantu Rovers in 2010, aged 16.[4] He left the country in July 2012, and had trials at French side Nancy.[5]

Nakamba officially joined Nancy on 24 December 2012, aged 18, for an undisclosed fee.[6] He received the international clearance seven days later,[7] and was assigned to the reserve team in CFA.

On 9 May 2014, Nakamba played his first match as a professional, starting in a 3–1 home win against Angers SCO.[8] He played his second match seven days later, coming on as a late substitute in a 0–0 away draw against AJ Auxerre,[9] and a new deal was offered to him on 19 May.[10]

Vitesse

In July 2014, Nakamba went on a trial at Eredivisie side Vitesse.[11] On 13 August, he signed a four-year deal with the Arnhem side aged 20 years.[12] Nakamba made his debut for the club on 27 September, coming on as a late substitute for Kelvin Leerdam in a 6–2 away win against Dordrecht. Nakamba started to establish himself in Vitesse's starting eleven during the 2015–16 campaign and went on to appear thirty times, scoring once against local rivals De Graafschap in a 2–2 draw.[13]

He played as Vitesse won the final of the KNVB Beker 2–0 against AZ Alkmaar on 30 April 2017 to lead the club, three-time runners up, to the title for the first time in its 125-year history.[14][15]

Club Brugge

On 20 June 2017, Nakamba joined Belgian side Club Brugge on a four-year deal for a fee around the margin of £4 million, aged 23 years.[16][17] He made his league debut for the club on 29 July 2017 in a 4–0 away victory over Sporting Lokeren. He was replaced by Hans Vanaken in the 75th minute, having picked up a yellow card.[18]

Aston Villa

On 1 August 2019, Marvelous Nakamba signed for Aston Villa aged 25 years, for a fee of €12 million. He joined up with former Club Brugge team-mate Wesley Moraes and former Club Brugge player Björn Engels, who had already joined Villa in that transfer window.[19] Nakamba made his first appearance for Villa in a 6–1 emphatic victory against Crewe Alexandra in an EFL Cup game.[20] Nakamba made his Premier League debut on 16 September 2019, in a 0–0 draw against West Ham at Villa Park.[21]

In October 2019, a video purportedly showing racist chants from Aston Villa fans about Nakamba and teammate John McGinn surfaced, and was condemned by the club.[22]

Nakamba was voted by fans as player of the month for November 2021, following a string of good performances under new Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard.[23] On 11 December 2021, Nakamba suffered a serious knee injury in a 1–0 defeat to Liverpool, the injury required surgery, with an estimated recovery time of three to four months, ruling Nakamba out of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[24][25]

Loan to Luton Town

On 31 January 2023, having not made an appearance for Aston Villa so far that season, Nakamba joined EFL Championship club Luton Town on loan for the remainder of the season.[26] On 4 February 2023, he made his debut in a 1–0 victory over Stoke City.[27] On 27 May 2023, Nakamba and his team secured promotion to the Premier League against Coventry City in the 2023 EFL Championship play-off final.

Luton Town

On 20 July 2023, Nakamba joined Luton Town on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.[28]

International career

Nakamba is a Zimbabwe international, having represented the country in the under-20 level. On 13 June 2015, aged 21 years, he made his debut with the main squad, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 win against Malawi.[29]

Personal life

Nakamba was born in Hwange in north-western Zimbabwe.[30] He secretly married his long-term girlfriend Chipo Primrose Makurumure in 2020 during a short visit to Bulawayo.[31] His father Anthony was also a footballer, playing as a goalkeeper for Hwange Colliery F.C. and his mother Charity worked as a maid for a family in South Africa. As a child his family experienced poverty, living together in a one-bedroom home in Bulawayo with his younger brother Junior. His mother worked overtime to buy Marvelous his first pair of Puma football boots.[32]

After Nakamba's Premier League debut on 16 September 2019, Zimbabwean footballer Peter Ndlovu confirmed that Nakamba would have a statue built in his honour in Hwange, as he was only the 4th Zimbabwean player to play in the English Football League.[33]

Charitable work

In March 2020, Nakamba created the Marvelous Nakamba Foundation - an organisation funded by Nakamba which aimed to help improve the lives of young people in Zimbabwe.[34][35] On 22 March 2020, Nakamba paid the tuition and examination fees of 1000 pupils from underprivileged backgrounds in Bulawayo. His goal was to reach 100,000 pupils by December 2021 and then 1 million pupils by 2024.[36] On 5 May 2021, Nakamba met Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, after the Marvelous Nakamba foundation had been involved in several projects around Zimbabwe, including working to revamp Hwange Hospital, feed programmes for children at rural schools, the provision of personal protective equipment for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe.[37]

In May 2021, Nakamba announced the creation of the Marvelous Nakamba Foundation Youth Invitational Tournament - an under-17 football tournament.[38] It was originally scheduled for June 2021, however this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[39] On 5 June 2022, Nakamba announced that he had finally received clearance from authorities for the tournament to go ahead at the White City Stadium in Bulawayo on 25 & 26 June.[40][41] The tournament went ahead as planned, with the youth academy of Majesa defeating Highlanders academy in the final.[42]

In June 2021, Nakamba's charitable works were recognised by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who said that he was "eager to plough [his earnings] back into the community"[43]

On 13 June 2022, the Marvelous Nakamba Foundation started construction work on a multi-sports complex in Bulawayo with football, tennis, basketball, volleyball and swimming facilities. Nakamba took part in a groundbreaking ceremony on the first day of building.[44]

On 16 June 2022, International Day of the African Child, Nakamba announced that he was working with UNICEF on projects to help protect young girls from child marriage in Zimbabwe.[45]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played on 16 May 2023[46][47]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Nancy II 2012–13 CFA Group B 120————120
2013–14 CFA 2 Group C 201————201
Total 321————321
Nancy 2013–14 Ligue 2 200000——20
Vitesse 2014–15 Eredivisie 6000——2[lower-alpha 3]080
2015–16 30110—2[lower-alpha 4]0—331
2016–17 31151———362
Total 67261—2020773
Club Brugge 2017–18 Belgian First Division A 35050—4[lower-alpha 5]0—440
2018–19 18000—5[lower-alpha 6]000230
Total 53050—9000670
Aston Villa 2019–20[48] Premier League 2901040——340
2020–21[49] 1300030——160
2021–22[50] 1600020——180
2022–23[51] 000000——00
Total 5801090——680
Luton Town (loan) 2022–23[51] Championship 17000——2[lower-alpha 7]0190
Career total 227312190110402634
  1. Includes KNVB Cup, Belgian Cup, FA Cup
  2. Includes EFL Cup
  3. Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs
  4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  6. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  7. Appearances in Championship play-offs

International
As of match played 11 November 2021[52]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Zimbabwe 201520
201640
201750
201850
201940
202030
202130
Total260

Honours

Vitesse

Club Brugge

Aston Villa

Luton Town

References
  1. "Updated squad lists for 2019/20 Premier League". Premier League. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2. "Marvelous Nakamba: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  3. "Marvelous Nakamba: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  4. "Nakamba tipped for success". The Zimbabwean. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  5. "Bantu Rovers player at AS Nancy FC in France". Bantu Rovers FC. 20 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  6. "Zimbabwean starlet joins AS Nancy". SuperSport. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  7. "Nakamba keen to impress". News Day. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  8. "AS Nancy Lorraine – Angers SCO". Ligue 1. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  9. "AJ Auxerre – AS Nancy Lorraine". Ligue 1. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  10. "Zimbabwe: Nancy Offer Nakamba Deal". All Africa. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  11. "Nakamba on trials at Dutch side Vitesse". Southern Eye. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  12. "Vitesse haalt Marvelous Nakamba" [Vitesse signs Marvelous Nakamba] (in Dutch). Vitesse. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  13. "De Graafschap vs. Vitesse". Soccerway. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  14. Reuters Editorial. "Vitesse claim first major trophy with Cup triumph". U.S. Retrieved 23 May 2018. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  15. "AZ Alkmaar vs. Vitesse Arnhem – Football Match Line-Ups – April 30, 2017". ESPN. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  16. "Zimbabwe's Nakamba in Belgium move". BBC Sport. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  17. "Nakamba seals Belgium move". The Herald. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  18. "Sporting Lokeren vs. Club Brugge – 29 July 2017". Soccerway.
  19. "Transfer news: Aston Villa sign Marvelous Nakamba". Aston Villa F.C. 1 August 2019.
  20. "Crewe Alexandra 1–6 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 27 August 2019.
  21. Ames, Nick (16 September 2019). "Aston Villa 0–0 West Ham United". The Guardian.
  22. "Aston Villa 'disgusted' by fans' racist chant at Norwich game". BBC. 7 October 2019.
  23. "Fans on social media react as 'superb' Marvelous Nakamba is named Aston Villa Player of the Month". www.msn.com. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  24. "Marvelous Nakamba ruled out for 3-4 months". Aston Villa Football Club. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  25. Mapasure, Kevin (14 December 2021). "Nakamba ruled out of Afcon". NewsDay Zimbabwe. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  26. "Marvelous Nakamba joins Luton Town on loan!". www.lutontown.co.uk. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  27. "Ruddock-Mpanzu helps Luton beat Stoke to go fourth". BBC Sport. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  28. "Nakamba joins Luton Town". Aston Villa Football Club. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  29. "Warriors extinguish Flames". Daily News. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  30. "10 Things You Didn't Know About Marvelous Nakamba". Diski 365. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  31. "Warriors and Aston Villa star Marvelous Nakamba secretly marries his long-time sweetheart (PICTURE) | My Zimbabwe News". 7 February 2020.
  32. Preece, Ashley (23 April 2020). "The incredible back story of Aston Villa's Marvelous Nakamba". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  33. "Peter Ndlovu Confirms That Nakamba Will Have Statue Erected in His Honour". Pindula News. 28 August 2019.
  34. "Nakamba Launches Foundation... – ZimEye". ZimEye. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  35. "About". Marvelous Nakamba Foundation. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  36. Taiwo, Taiye (15 April 2021). "Aston Villa star Nakamba pays school fees of 1,000 pupils in Zimbabwe | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  37. N'Cube, Audrey (5 May 2021). "Football Star Marvelous Nakamba Meets Prince William". iHarare News. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  38. "Villa Star Launches Marvelous Nakamba Under-17 Tourney". NewZimbabwe.com. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  39. "Nakamba postpones his junior tournament". The Herald. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  40. "Nakamba "Thrilled" After MNF Invitational Tournament Receives Clearance – Pindula News". 5 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  41. "Nakamba Foundation tourney launched". Bulawayo24 News. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  42. Chigandiwa, Tafadzwa (28 June 2022). "Majesa win Nakamba tournament while age cheating gets DeMbare disqualified". Nehanda Radio. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  43. Garusa, Thandiwe (17 June 2021). "Marvelous Nakamba Meets ED". NewZimbabwe.com. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  44. "Nakamba Sports Centre takes shape". Bulawayo24 News. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  45. Manyepo, Tadious (15 June 2022). "Zimbabwe: Nakamba Pledges to Fight for Girl Child". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  46. "M. Nakamba". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  47. "Marvelous Nakamba". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  48. "Games played by Marvelous Nakamba in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  49. "Games played by Marvelous Nakamba in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  50. "Games played by Marvelous Nakamba in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  51. "Games played by Marvelous Nakamba in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  52. "Marvelous Nakamba » Internationals". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  53. "Is Marvelous Nakamba ready for one of Europe's major leagues?". ESPN. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  54. McNulty, Phil (1 March 2020). "Aston Villa 1–2 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  55. "Luton win shootout to reach Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
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