Wanya Marçal during Leicester City's 2024 Championship winning celebrations
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wanya Marçal-Madivadua[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-10-19) 19 October 2002 (age 21) | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England[1] | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Leicester City | ||
| Number | 40 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Feeder Soccer | |||
| 2013–2015 | Peterborough United | ||
| 2015–2022 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Leicester City | 3 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021–2022 | Portugal U20 | 4 | (0) |
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:59, 19 April 2022 (UTC) | |||
Wanya Marçal-Madivadua (born 19 October 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielderorwinger for Premier League club Leicester City. Born in England, he has represented Portugal at youth international level.
Marçal was born in Leicester, but grew up in Peterborough with his mother and step-father.[2] He is the eldest of four siblings, with his step-brother Cheyenne Loureiro, as well as his brother, Luegi, playing for Leicester City, while his other step-brother, Giovanni Loureiro, also played for the club before moving on to Bolton Wanderers.[2]
Initially playing football in a local park with his brothers, Marçal joined a local academy named Feeder Soccer, before being scouted and signed by professional side Peterborough United at the age of ten.[2]
His step-brother, Giovanni, had joined the academy of Leicester City, and was shortly followed by Marçal, who joined the club in 2015, at the age of twelve.[2][3] Having progressed through the academy, he signed a professional contract with the club in July 2021, despite interest from a number of clubs across Europe, and was promoted to the first-team squad.[4] On 8 January 2022, Marçal made his professional debut with Leicester City in a 4–1 FA Cup win over Watford, coming on as a half-time substitute for Vontae Daley-Campbell.[5][6]
Ahead of the 2023–24 season, Marçal signed a contract extension with the club.[7] Under new manager Enzo Maresca, Marçal featured in all of Leicester City's pre-season games, including travelling with the first-team squad to Thailand and Singapore.[8]
Following the loss of a number of first-team players due to Leicester City's relegation from the Premier League, he was handed his league debut in the EFL Championship in a 1–0 win against Huddersfield Town on 12 August 2023 by Maresca.[2][9] The following Saturday, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 win over Cardiff City, volleying past goalkeeper Jak Alnwick following a headed clearance by a Cardiff City defender from a Leicester City corner.[2][3] Despite his bright start to the season, he was dropped for the following game away at Rotherham United, with Leicester manager Maresca, who opted to have two goalkeepers on the bench instead, stating that Marçal needed to "earn" his place in the team.[10]
On 22 December 2023, Marçal extended his contract with Leicester until the summer of 2026.[11]
Born in England, Marçal is of Portuguese and Angolan descent. He is a youth international for Portugal, having represented the Portugal U20s.[12]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leicester City U21 | 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2022–23 | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2023–24 | — | — | — | — | 3[a] | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | ||||||
| Leicester City | 2021–22 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| Total | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 2 | ||
Leicester City
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Leicester City F.C. – current squad
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