Marvelous Nakamba (born 19 January 1994) is a Zimbabwean 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

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

and the Zimbabwe national team. Previously, he has also played for the national under-20 team.

Club career

Early career

Born in

Hwange Hwange (formerly Wankie) is a town in Zimbabwe, located in Hwange District, in Matabeleland North Province, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with Botswana and Zambia. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of Vi ...

near

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animal ...

in Zimbabwe, Nakamba made his senior debut with local team Bantu Rovers in 2010, aged 16. He left the country in July 2012, and had trials at French side Nancy. Nakamba officially joined Nancy on 24 December 2012, aged 18, for an undisclosed fee. He received the international clearance seven days later, 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 Angers Sporting Club de l'Ouest, commonly referred to as Angers SCO or simply Angers (), is a French professional football club based in Angers in Pays de la Loire in western France. The club was founded in 1919 and plays in Ligue 1, the fir ...

. He played his second match seven days later, coming on as a late substitute in a 0–0 away draw against

AJ Auxerre Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise (), commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre (), is a French football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division o ...

, and a new deal was offered to him on 19 May.

Vitesse

In July 2014, Nakamba went on a trial at

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

side Vitesse. On 13 August, he signed a four-year deal with the

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

side aged 20 years. Nakamba made his debut for the club on 27 September, coming on as a late substitute for

Kelvin Leerdam Kelvin Leerdam (; born 24 June 1990) is a Surinamese professional footballer who plays as a right-back for LA Galaxy and the Suriname national team. Club career Early career Leerdam was born in Paramaribo, the capital and largest city of Suri ...

in a 6–2 away win against

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

. 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 VBV De Graafschap () is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands, playing in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the De Vijverberg stadium. ...

in a 2–2 draw. He played as Vitesse won the final of the

KNVB Beker The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

2–0 against

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...

on 30 April 2017 to lead the club, three-time runners up, to the title for the first time in its 125-year history.

Club Brugge

On 20 June 2017, Nakamba joined Belgian side

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.

on a four-year deal for a fee around the margin of £4 million, aged 23 years. He made his league debut for the club on 29 July 2017 in a 4–0 away victory over

Sporting Lokeren Koninklijke Sporting Club Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen (; often simply called Sporting Lokeren or Lokeren) was a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Lokeren, in the province of East Flanders. The club was founded in 1923 but ce ...

. He was replaced by

Hans Vanaken Hans Vanaken (born 24 August 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge, whom he captains, and the Belgium national team. Vanaken is well known in Belgium for his prol ...

in the 75th minute, having picked up a yellow card.

Aston Villa

On 1 August 2019, Marvelous Nakamba signed for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

aged 25 years, for a fee of €12 million. He joined up with former Club Brugge team-mate

Wesley Moraes Wesley Moraes Ferreira da Silva (born 24 November 1996), known as Wesley or Wesley Moraes, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for Segunda División club Levante, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa. ...

and former Club Brugge player Björn Engels, who had already joined Villa in that

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...

. Nakamba made his first appearance for Villa in a 6–1 emphatic victory against

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

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 ...

game. Nakamba made his

debut on 16 September 2019, in a 0–0 draw against

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...

. In October 2019, a video purportedly showing racist chants from Aston Villa fans about Nakamba and teammate

John McGinn John McGinn (born 18 October 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Aston Villa, where he is captain, and the Scotland national team. McGinn previously played for St Mirren and Hibernian, and also re ...

surfaced, and was condemned by the club. 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 Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...

. On 11 December 2021, Nakamba suffered a serious knee injury in a 1–0 defeat to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, the injury required surgery, with an estimated recovery time of three to four months, ruling Nakamba out of the

2021 Africa Cup of Nations The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021), known as the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's foo ...

Loan to Luton Town

On 31 January 2023, having not made an appearance for Aston Villa so far that season, Nakamba joined

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...

club

on loan for the remainder of the season. On 4 February 2023, he made his debut in a 1–0 victory over

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

. On 27 May 2023, Nakamba and his team secured promotion to the Premier League against

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

in the

2023 EFL Championship play-off final The 2023 EFL Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 27 May 2023 at Wembley Stadium, London, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the EFL Championship, the second tier of English ...

Luton Town

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

International career

Nakamba is a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

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 Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Personal life

Nakamba was born in

in north-western

. He secretly married his long-term girlfriend Chipo Primrose Makurumure in 2020 during a short visit to

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

. His father Anthony was also a footballer, playing as a goalkeeper for

Hwange Colliery F.C. Hwange (formerly Wankie) is a town in Zimbabwe, located in Hwange District, in Matabeleland North Province, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with Botswana and Zambia. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of Vi ...

and his mother Charity worked as a maid for a family in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. 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 Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...

football boots. After Nakamba's Premier League debut on 16 September 2019, Zimbabwean footballer

Peter Ndlovu Peter Ndlovu (born 25 February 1973) is a Zimbabwean football coach and former professional player who was most recently the team manager at South African Premier Division side Mamelodi Sundowns. As a player he was as a striker from 1988 unti ...

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 The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

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. 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. On 5 May 2021, Nakamba met

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

, 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 Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...

for schools during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe The COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ().The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Zimbabwe in March 2020. Som ...

. In May 2021, Nakamba announced the creation of the ''Marvelous Nakamba Foundation Youth Invitational Tournament'' - an under-17 football tournament. It was originally scheduled for June 2021, however this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. The tournament went ahead as planned, with the youth academy of Majesa defeating Highlanders academy in the final. In June 2021, Nakamba's charitable works were recognised by Zimbabwean President

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, American English, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Muga ...

, who said that he was "eager to plough is earningsback into the community" 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 Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

on the first day of building. On 16 June 2022,

International Day of the African Child The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the OAU Organisation of African Unity. It honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day. It also raises a ...

, Nakamba announced that he was working with

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

on projects to help protect young girls from child marriage in Zimbabwe.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Vitesse *

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

: 2016–17 Club Brugge *

Belgian First Division A The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 team ...

: 2017–18 Aston Villa *

runner-up: 2019–20 Luton Town *

EFL Championship play-offs The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , t ...

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

References

External links

Marvelous Nakamba
at the Luton Town F.C. website * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamba, Marvelous 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Matabeleland North Province Zimbabwean men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Highlanders F.C. players Bantu Tshintsha Guluva Rovers F.C. players AS Nancy Lorraine players SBV Vitesse players Club Brugge KV players Aston Villa F.C. players Championnat National players Ligue 2 players Eredivisie players Belgian Pro League players Premier League players Zimbabwe men's international footballers 2017 Africa Cup of Nations players 2019 Africa Cup of Nations players Zimbabwean expatriate men's footballers Zimbabwean expatriate sportspeople in France Zimbabwean expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Zimbabwean expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Zimbabwean expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in England Luton Town F.C. players English Football League players