Mbala Nzola admits that he was once turned down by Crystal Palace amid claims that the Serie A hotshot could finally end up in the Premier League this summer with West Ham United.
Nzola’s story is one of dedication, of determination. A twisting tale of perseverance.
The Angola international is the third highest goalscorer in Italy’s top flight this season – behind only Ademola Lookman and (who else?) Victor Osimhen in the Capocannoniere race. But, make no mistake, Nzola has not always had it this good.
Crystal Palace once turned down Mbala Nzola
“The closest I came to giving up was on a train bound for Francavilla, in Puglia. Oh my goodness, I had done a lot of auditions,” the well-travelled Nzola tells Calciomercato, explaining just how hard it was finding a club willing to offer him a shot.
“I went to Troyes when I was a kid. I even auditioned at the Crystal Palace. Everywhere I went, they told me no.
My agent, Didier Pingisi, gave me a chance with Cremonese, but nothing there either. In the end I went to Portugal, to the Academica. The following year I went down to the third division, again in Portugal, at Sertanense.
“Perugia also refuses me. I was exhausted. The right place for Nzola didn’t seem to exist.”
The late-blooming centre-froward eventually joined Vitrus Francavilla in the Italian lower leagues. And though he would only last one season, that career-defining switch to Italy would set off a series of events which eventually ended with Nzola becoming one of Serie A’s most prolific hitmen in the black-and-white of Spezia.
“My agent called me; (He said) ‘Mbala, stop. There is one last chance. (The club’s) name is Virtus Francavilla. I managed to get trial. He said to me; ‘This is your first Champions League final’.”
Nzola scored one and set up another during the massive 2-1 victory over Inter Milan before the March international break. His penchant for big goals on big occasions, meanwhile, has caught the eye of not only West Ham United but ironically a Crystal Palace side who seemingly turned their nose up at Nzola all those years ago (Gazzetta dello Sport).
The Spezia star is reportedly valued in the region of £17 million these days.
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