Nathan Sinkala
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nathan Sinkala | ||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Chingola, Zambia | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
ZESCO United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2012 | Green Buffaloes | ||
| 2009 | → Hapoel Kiryat Shmona (loan) | ||
| 2012–2020 | TP Mazembe | ||
| 2014 | → Sochaux (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | → Grasshoppers (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Stellenbosch | 53 | (5) |
| 2023– | ZESCO United | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011– | Zambia | 52 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 September 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 September 2023 | |||
Nathan Sinkala (born 22 November 1990) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for ZESCO United and the Zambia national team.
Club career
Green Buffaloes
Born in Chingola, Sinkala began his career in 2008 with Green Buffaloes, and spent a loan spell in Israel with Hapoel Kiryat Shmona during 2009, playing for their reserve team. At Green Buffaloes, Sinkala scored three leagues goal during the 2009 season, and two league goals during the 2010 season. He also won the Zambian Charity Shield in 2010.
TP Mazembe and loans
After participating at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, Sinkala signed for TP Mazembe on a three-year deal.
On 8 January 2014, Sinkala joined French Ligue 1 side Sochaux-Montbéliard on a loan deal. He later stated that he wished to remain with the club following the end of the loan deal. On 7 July 2014, Sinkala was loaned again from Mazembe, this time to Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Club Zürich.
Stellenbosch
In January 2020, he moved to Stellenbosch.
Zambia
In December 2022 he was reported as signing a six-month deal with SC Kfar Kasem in Israel. However, he returned to Zambia and ZESCO United in January 2023.
International career
Sinkala made his international debut for Zambia in 2011, and participated at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He was called up to Zambia's 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
In October 2013, due to a disagreement between their club TP Mazembe and the Zambian Football Association over international call-ups, Sinkala and two other players (Rainford Kalaba and Stoppila Sunzu) were the subject of a Zambian arrest warrant. All three players later had their passports confiscated by Zambian immigration authorities, before being pardoned by the Zambian government.
In December 2014 he was named as part of Zambia's preliminary squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He was injured in his country's opening game in the tournament.
Personal life
He is the younger brother of Andrew Sinkala.
Career statistics
- Scores and results list Zambia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sinkala goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2013 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana | Ghana | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 6 June 2014 | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, United States | Japan | 2–0 | 3–4 | Friendly |
| 3 | 27 May 2015 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng, South Africa | Ghana | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2015 COSAFA Cup |