Mbwana Ally Samatta: Profile, Stats, Career, Records, and Latest News.

Mbwana Alyy Samatta is the former captain of the Tanzania National team. Tanzanian professional striker plays for Ligue 1 club Le Havre. In his career, Samatta made history by winning both the CAF Champions League and the African Player of the Year in 2015.

Mbwana Ally Samatta is the first Tanzanian footballer to play and score in the Premier League. This article uncovers Mbwana’s achievements and the clubs he has played for since he began playing in 2008. Read through to see why Mbwana remains on the list of great players from Tanzania.

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Mbwana Ally Samatta is a professional footballer from Tanzania who plays as a forward for Le Havre AC in France.  He is also the captain of the Tanzanian national team. Samatta started his senior career in 2010 with Simba SC before having a successful career with TP Mazembe, Genk, Aston Villa, Fenerbahçe, Royal Antwerp and PAOK. Samatta was the first Tanzanian player to play and score in the English Premier League when he was signed by Aston Villa in 2020. Having won international and continental awards, Samatta is considered the best player Tanzania has ever produced. 

Mbwana Ally Samatta was born on 23 December 1992 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Samatta developed a passion for football from an early age, nurtured through his enrolment at African Lyon’s youth academy in 2008. He made his senior debut in 2010 and impressed in the 2010–11 Tanzanian Premier League, earning a $100,000 transfer to TP Mazembe in January 2011. He was also the top scorer in the 2015 CAF Champions League with seven goals. He won the title that year and finished the 2016 CAF Super Cup with the first team. That excellent form also landed him the CAF African-Based Player of the Year honour for the year (2015), only to join Belgian outfit Genk in January 2016.

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In January 2016, Mbwana Samatta transferred to Belgian side KRC Genk from TP Mazembe, making him the first Tanzanian player to play in the top tier of the Belgian Football League. He was quick to adapt and became one of the most effective strikers in the league, helping Genk secure the Belgian Pro League title in 2018–19. In the same season, Mbwana went on to become the top scorer in the league, scoring 23 goals, and the League’s annual Ebony Shoe winner for the best African player in Belgium. His stellar displays in the UEFA Europa League against some of Europe’s elite sides generated a lot of interest in his transfer to Aston Villa in January 2020.

Samatta joined Aston Villa in January 2020 for an estimated price tag of £8.5m, making him the first Tanzanian to sign for the EPL. He made an instant impression, netting his home debut at AFC Bournemouth, before playing his first-ever Premier League game against Newcastle United and scoring. He also scored in the 2020 EFL Cup Final against Manchester City, which Aston Villa lost 2–1. Ally Samatta went on to score two goals in his 16 league appearances for the club, and in September 2020 he was loaned to Fenerbahçe to get more regular league time.

Samatta joined Turkish giants Fenerbahçe on a season-long loan with an option to become a permanent member of their squad, which the club agreed to. He played in the Turkish Süper Lig, Turkish domestic cup competitions, and European qualifiers, adding vital goals and assists. He had moments of brilliance, but a lack of consistency and struggles for top positions hampered his impact. In search of more playing time, Fenerbahçe decided to rent him to Royal Antwerp in 2021 and then again to Genk until he joined PAOK as a permanent player in 2022.

Samatta joined the Greek Super League club PAOK from Fenerbahçe in July 2023. He was a valuable addition to the team, providing goals, experience, and leadership in both domestic and European football. He also played a key role for PAOK in winning the 2023–24 Greek Super League championship. Samatta then moved to French club Le Havre after his second season in Greece to find a new challenge.

Samatta has brought in experience from Belgium, England, Turkey and Greece with Le Havre AC ahead of the 2025-26, Ligue 1 season. He soon emerged as one of the leading players on the team, contributing with his movement, hold-up play and finishing to the attack. He has also been playing club football and remains the captain of the Tanzania national team, one of the most influential footballers in East Africa. By joining France, he has been able to keep playing at an elite level and coaching younger players in the top league in Europe.

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Mbwana Samatta made his debut for Tanzania in 2011 and is now a mainstay in the team. Later, he was promoted to captain and played for the Taifa Stars in the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Ally is the first for Tanzania to lead the team in the AFCON tournament, as it was played in 2019, and the first to score at the event since 1982. Samatta is also Tanzania’s top goalscorer and has helped his country qualify for AFCON 2023 and AFCON 2025, making him one of the country’s top footballers of all time.

As Tanzania’s best player, Samatta has scored 173 goals after making 493 total senior club appearances. On the other hand, in his international career, he has scored 22 goals in 87 caps while playing for the Tanzania National Team. Below are Mbwana Samatta’s stats.

Mbwana has made headlines as one of the best football players. He has several awards, which include the 2015 African Player of the Year, the 2019 Ebony Shoe, and the 2015 CAF Champions League Top Scorer. Here are Mbwana Ally’s achievements and awards.

Ally Samatta is a hardworking centre-forward who is intelligent in movement, clinical in finishing, and great in leadership. He scores with both his feet, is dangerous in the air and always gets the job done in significant games for club and country. He’s the captain of the Tanzania national team and is a role model for younger players, guiding them with his experience and professionalism. Samatta is primarily used as a central striker, often operating as the team’s main attacker to create space, beat the defence, and link up with his teammates.

Samatta is tight-lipped about his personal life and avoids discussing his family or relationships. He has not revealed much about his wife, parents, or brothers, but has always given his family credit for the support they provided his football career. Samatta is a Muslim and has addressed the topic of faith throughout his career. He also provides his service to society through the Mbwana Samatta Foundation, which has been established to provide services to the community in Tanzania in the areas of education, youth development, health care, and community projects.

Throughout his career, Samatta has made several transfers between local and international football clubs. The table below shows Mbwana Samatta’s transfer history.

Samatta’s performance in the 2025/26 season has been great. He concluded the season after scoring goals for Le Havre AC and also being awarded the club’s player of the month in April 2026. Samatta has no injuries and will continue to play for Le Havre in the 2026/27 season. After 15 years of leading the Tanzania National Football team, Samatta officially announced his retirement on July 7, 2026.

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Mbwana Ally Samatta has scored over 160 career club goals and 22 goals for the Tanzania National team.

The clubs that Samatta has played for include:

African Lyon (Youth career)

Simba SC (2010–2011)

TP Mazembe (2011–2016)

Genk (2016–2020 and loan in 2022–2023)

Aston Villa (2020)

Fenerbahçe (2020–2023)

Antwerp (Loan, 2021–2022)

PAOK (2023–2025)

Le Havre (2025–present)

No. Mbwana Samatta is no longer the captain of Tanzania since he announced his retirement from football on July 7, 2026.

Mbwana Samatta’s net worth is estimated to be approx. 13 billion to 16 billion Tanzanian Shillings.

Mbwana Samatta is Muslim.

Featuring magical ball controls, Mbwana Ally Samatta remains the best footballer to ever come from Tanzania. Among his legacies, Ally has played for both Tanzanian and international football clubs. Get real-time updates on great footballers and league updates by signing in to SportPesa.