N. Mbala

Nathan Mbala did not start out as a striker. He began playing football as a goalkeeper at US Forbach, only switching to an attacking role at the age of 15. He joined the club's academy in 2020 and worked his way up through the reserve side, FC Metz B, where he scored two goals in eight appearances in his first National 3 campaign and three in nine the following season.

His senior debut came in the Coupe de France on 20 December 2025, when he was sent on as a substitute in the 87th minute of a 3-0 win away at ASC Biesheim. A Ligue 1 debut followed on 1 February 2026 against Angers SCO, again from the bench, in a game Metz lost 1-0. Two weeks later, on 15 February, he scored his first goal as a professional against AJ Auxerre, though Metz lost that match 3-1. At 17 years and 361 days old, the goal made him the third-youngest scorer in the club's history this century. He added a second goal on 15 March, a left-footed strike in a 4-3 defeat to Toulouse. By mid-March he had made seven Ligue 1 appearances for two goals.

Metz tied him down with his first professional contract on 24 March 2026. He is the son of Mbala "Biscotte" Mbuta, a former DR Congo international, and holds dual French and Congolese nationality, leaving him eligible to represent either country at senior level, though he has not yet been capped by either.