Marc Joel Bola (born 9 December 1997) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

club Samsunspor.

Early and personal life

Bola grew up supporting Arsenal, the team he started his professional career at. He is of Congolese descent.

Career

Arsenal

Born in London Borough of Greenwich, Bola joined

Arsenal Academy The Arsenal Academy was a military academy in Columbia, South Carolina, originally established in 1842 as an independent school by the state of South Carolina. In 1845, the academy became a component of the South Carolina Military Academy (now Th ...

when he was 13 after being spotted playing Sunday league football and at 16, he earned a scholarship. After progressing through the ranks, he was promoted to the reserve side. At the reserve side, Bola became a regular there and scored his first goal for the reserve side on 9 March 2016, in a 3–3 draw against Fulham U23. Bola turned professional with

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in April 2016. Bola moved on loan to Notts County in January 2017. He made his Notts County debut on 4 February 2017, where he played 53 minutes, in a 2–0 loss against Accrington Stanley, and went on to make 13 appearances for the side before returning to his parent club at the end of the season. In July 2017, he signed a season-long loan deal with Bristol Rovers. Bola made his Bristol Rovers debut on 16 September 2017, in a 3–0 loss against

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

Blackpool

He was released by Arsenal at the end of the 2017–18 season. Following his release he signed for

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

on a one-year contract. He was sent off in September 2018, but the club appealed to the FA who overruled it and rescinded the three-match ban.

Middlesbrough

Bola joined

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

on 28 July 2019 for an undisclosed fee. He scored on his debut for Middlesbrough in an

EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

tie against Crewe Alexandra on 13 August 2019. On 10 January 2020 he returned to Blackpool on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season.

Samsunspor

On 9 July 2023, Bola signed for Turkish

side Samsunspor for an undisclosed fee.

Controversy

In September 2021, Bola was officially charged with "aggravated misconduct" by the FA for posting a tweet that "made a reference to sexual orientation" nine years ago, at the age of 14.

Career statistics

Playing style

Bola plays primarily as a left back, but can also play as a centre back and a striker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bola, Marc 1997 births Living people English men's footballers English people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Arsenal F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football fullbacks Black British sportsmen People from the Royal Borough of Greenwich Samsunspor footballers English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey