Mama Balde

Mama Samba Balde (born 6 November 1995) is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays as a winger and right-back for French club ES Troyes AC and the Guinea-Bissau national team. He also holds Portuguese citizenship.

Club Career

Sporting

Born in Bissau, Balde moved to Portugal before his tenth birthday. In 2013, he signed with Sporting CP for his last year as a junior, arriving for free from S.U. Sintrense.

Balde made his professional debut with the reserves on 11 May 2014, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in a 1–0 away win against S.C. Braga B for the Segunda Liga. In January 2015, he was loaned to third division side Sport Benfica e Castelo Branco until June.

Returned to Sporting B for 2015–16, Balde scored his first league goal on 30 September 2015, but in a 1–3 home defeat to S.C. Olhanense. He totalled 38 appearances during the season, helping to a tenth-place finish in the second tier.

Balde went on loan to Primeira Liga club C.D. Aves in the summer of 2017. His first match in the competition occurred on 11 September, when he started as a right back in the 2–1 home victory over C.F. Os Belenenses.

In February 2019, Balde became Aves' all-time scorer in the Portuguese top flight with nine goals.

Dijon

On 27 June 2019, Balde joined Dijon FCO on a three-year contract. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 10 August, playing the first half of a 1–2 home loss against AS Saint-Etienne.

Balde scored seven times during the 2020–21 campaign, but his team suffered relegation as last.

Troyes

On 31 July 2021, Balde agreed to a four-year deal at ES Troyes AC in the same country and league.