When Mbwana Samatta walked out for Aston Villa in January 2020, he made history for Tanzania. No player from his country had ever appeared in England’s Premier League. Days later, he scored on his league debut. Samatta’s journey had taken him from Dar es Salaam to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then to Belgium and finally to England. Along the way, he won Africa’s biggest club competition and scored at Anfield in the Champions League.
Early life and TP Mazembe
Mbwana Ally Samatta was born on 23 December 1992 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He began playing for local clubs. He played for Simba SC, one of Tanzania’s biggest clubs, before moving abroad. In 2011 he joined TP Mazembe in the DR Congo, one of Africa’s most successful clubs. He won the CAF Champions League in 2015 and was named the African-based Player of the Year that year.
In 2016 he moved to Genk in Belgium. He became one of the league’s top scorers and helped Genk win the Belgian title in 2019.
Villa, Fenerbahçe and the captaincy
In the 2019-20 Champions League, Samatta scored against Liverpool at Anfield, a proud moment for Tanzanian football. In January 2020 he joined Aston Villa, becoming the first Tanzanian in the Premier League. He scored on his league debut against Bournemouth. He scored for Villa in the League Cup final against Manchester City in March 2020, though Villa lost.
Later in 2020 he moved to Fenerbahçe in Turkey on loan and then permanently. He later returned to Belgium and continued his career in Europe. Samatta captained Tanzania’s national team, the Taifa Stars, and led them at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Role model and goals in Belgium
He is a hero in Tanzania and a role model for young East African players. Samatta is a strong, mobile striker who scores with both feet and his head. At TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi, Samatta played alongside some of Africa’s best club players. Winning the continental title there made him a household name across East and Central Africa.
His scoring record at Genk made him a fan favourite, and supporters still remember his goals in the title-winning season. Mbwana Samatta’s Premier League stay was short. For Tanzanian fans, the fact that it happened at all was enough to make it historic.
