Marc Joel Bola (born 9 December 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back for Süper Lig club Samsunspor.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marc Joel Bola[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 December 1997[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Greenwich, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Samsunspor | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Arsenal | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Notts County (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Bristol Rovers (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Blackpool | 35 | (2) |
| 2019–2023 | Middlesbrough | 96 | (2) |
| 2020 | → Blackpool (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2023– | Samsunspor | 14 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:46, 5 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early and personal life
Bola grew up supporting Arsenal, the team he started his professional career at.[3] He is of Congolese descent.[4][5]
Career
Arsenal
Born in London Borough of Greenwich, Bola joined Arsenal Academy when he was 13 after being spotted playing Sunday league football and at 16, he earned a scholarship.[6] After progressing through the ranks, he was promoted to the reserve side.[7] At the reserve side, Bola became a regular there and scored his first goal for the reserve side on 9 March 2016, in a 3–3 draw against Fulham U23.[8][9]
Bola turned professional with Arsenal in April 2016.[10][11]
Bola moved on loan to Notts County in January 2017.[12] He made his Notts County debut on 4 February 2017, where he played 53 minutes, in a 2–0 loss against Accrington Stanley, and went on to make 13 appearances for the side before returning to his parent club at the end of the season.[13]
In July 2017, he signed a season-long loan deal with Bristol Rovers.[14] Bola made his Bristol Rovers debut on 16 September 2017, in a 3–0 loss against Wigan Athletic.[15][16]
Blackpool
He was released by Arsenal at the end of the 2017–18 season.[17] Following his release he signed for Blackpool on a one-year contract.[18] He was sent off in September 2018, but the club appealed to the FA who overruled it and rescinded the three-match ban.[19]
Middlesbrough
Bola joined Middlesbrough on 28 July 2019 for an undisclosed fee.[20] He scored on his debut for Middlesbrough in an EFL Cup tie against Crewe Alexandra on 13 August 2019.[21] On 10 January 2020 he returned to Blackpool on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season.[22]
Samsunspor
On 9 July 2023, Bola signed for Turkish Süper Lig side Samsunspor for an undisclosed fee.[23]
Controversy
In September 2021, Bola was officially charged with "aggravated misconduct" by the FA for posting a tweet that "made a reference to sexual orientation" nine years ago, at the age of 14. [24]
Career statistics
- As of 30 April 2022
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal | 2016–17[13] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017–18[16] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Notts County (loan) | 2016–17[13] | League Two | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Bristol Rovers (loan) | 2017–18[16] | League One | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Blackpool | 2018–19[25] | League One | 35 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 43 | 2 |
| Middlesbrough | 2019–20[26] | Championship | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 2020–21[27] | 41 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22[28] | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | ||
| Total | 71 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 3 | ||
| Blackpool (loan) | 2019–20[26] | League One | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career total | 143 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 160 | 5 | ||
Playing style
Bola plays primarily as a left back, but can also play as a centre back and a striker.[3]