Marc Joel Bola

Marc Bola was found on a Sunday league pitch. Arsenal spotted him there and took him into the academy in 2010, when he was 13. He stayed until 2018 without playing a senior league game for the club, appearing for the reserves and the under-23s.

His football education came on loan. Notts County had him from January 2017 for 13 appearances, and Bristol Rovers took him from July 2017 into the following year for 18 more. When his Arsenal contract expired in July 2018, Blackpool signed him on a free transfer.

Blackpool was where he became a regular. The defender played 35 league games in 2018–19, scored twice, and finished the season with two awards: the club's Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year.

Middlesbrough paid an undisclosed fee for him in July 2019. He made 96 league appearances there over four years.

In July 2023 he left England for Samsunspor in the Turkish Süper Lig. He signed a two-year deal with an option for a third, and the fee was undisclosed. Because he had a year left on his Middlesbrough contract, it was close to a free transfer. He played 53 league matches for the club before his contract ran out.

Watford signed him on a free transfer in July 2025 on a three-year contract. In August 2026 the club extended it to June 2030.

Bola has not played for England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo at senior or youth level, although he is eligible for both.