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Brice Samba
Brice Samba asse rcl 23 24.jpg
Samba with Lens in 2024
Personal information
Full name Brice Lauriche Samba
Date of birth (1994-04-25) 25 April 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth Linzolo, Republic of the Congo
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Rennes
Number 1
Youth career
2001–2002 Pacy Vallée-d'Eure
2002–2006 Madeleine Evreux
2006–2011 Le Havre
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Le Havre B 27 (0)
2011–2013 Le Havre 0 (0)
2013–2017 Marseille B 9 (0)
2013–2017 Marseille 1 (0)
2015–2016 → Nancy B (loan) 2 (0)
2015–2016 → Nancy (loan) 2 (0)
2017–2018 Caen B 3 (0)
2017–2019 Caen 43 (0)
2019–2022 Nottingham Forest 125 (0)
2022–2025 Lens 85 (0)
2025– Rennes 17 (0)
International career
2023– France 3 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
UEFA Nations League
Third 2025
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 May 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2024

Brice Lauriche Samba (born on April 25, 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He currently plays for the Ligue 1 club Rennes. Brice was born in the Republic of Congo, but he plays for the French national team.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Le Havre

Brice Samba began his football journey at Le Havre in 2006. He worked his way up through their youth teams. He first played for the main team in 2011.

Time with Marseille

Valais Cup 2013 - OM-FC Porto 13-07-2013 - Brice Samba en extension (cropped2)
Brice Samba playing for Marseille in 2013

On January 4, 2013, Samba joined Marseille from Le Havre. He signed a contract for four and a half years. He made his first professional appearance for Marseille on January 5, 2014. This was in a Coupe de France game against Reims. He managed to keep a clean sheet, meaning the other team didn't score, in a 2–0 home win. Later, on July 9, 2015, Samba went to Nancy for a season on loan.

Moving to Caen

Brice Samba then joined Caen on June 30, 2017. He signed a four-year deal after leaving Marseille.

Success at Nottingham Forest

On August 7, 2019, Samba joined EFL Championship team Nottingham Forest. He signed a four-year contract. He was first brought in as a backup goalkeeper. However, he soon became Forest's main goalkeeper after the other player made some mistakes.

Samba played his first game for Forest on August 13, 2019. It was a 1–0 win in the EFL Cup against Fleetwood Town. His first league game was on August 24, 2019, in a 2–1 victory over Fulham. His great performances led to him being named the Championship Fans' Player of the Month in November 2019. On September 8, 2020, Samba was chosen for the PFA Championship Team of the Year for the 2019–20 season.

In the 2022 Championship play-off semi-final, Samba was a hero. He saved three penalties, helping Forest reach the final against Huddersfield Town. He started in the 2022 EFL Championship play-off final. He was substituted in the 90th minute due to an injury. Forest won 1–0, which meant they returned to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years!

Joining Lens

On July 5, 2022, it was announced that Samba had signed a five-year contract with Ligue 1 club Lens. In the first half of the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season, he kept 9 clean sheets in 19 games. He finished the season with 15 clean sheets in 38 league matches, which was the most in the league. He was given the Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year award. He was also named in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year. He let in the fewest goals (29 goals) in the league. This helped Lens finish second with 84 points, just one point behind league winners Paris Saint-Germain. This amazing result secured a Champions League spot for Lens for the first time in 20 years.

International Career

Brice Samba was born in the Republic of the Congo. He has both Congolese and French nationalities.

In March 2023, he was called up for the first time to the French senior national team. This was for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland.

On June 16, 2023, he made his debut for France. He played the entire game in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Gibraltar.

Achievements and Awards

Brice Samba has achieved several important things in his career:

Nottingham Forest

  • EFL Championship play-offs: Winner in 2022

France

Individual Awards

  • PFA Championship Fans Player of the Month: November 2019
  • PFA Team of the Year: 2019–20 EFL Championship
  • Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year: 2022–23
  • UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2022–23

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Brice Samba para niños

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