Clinton Mola
English footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clinton Mola (born 15 March 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender or defensive midfielder for Bristol Rovers.
|
Mola with Stuttgart in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clinton Lemere Mola[1][2] | ||
| Date of birth | 15 March 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Camden, London, England | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bristol Rovers | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| AC United | |||
| 2015–2020 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2023 | VfB Stuttgart | 12 | (0) |
| 2022 | VfB Stuttgart II | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Reading | 30 | (0) |
| 2024– | Bristol Rovers | 66 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016–2017 | England U16 | 5 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | England U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | England U18 | 7 | (1) |
| 2019 | England U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | England U20 | 3 | (1) |
| 2021 | England U21 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:15, 2 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:40, 30 March 2022 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Mola started his football career at grassroots club AC United, then joined Chelsea at the under-14 level following a successful trail.[4][5] On 31 January 2020, Mola moved to VfB Stuttgart, signing a 4.5 year contract.[6] Mola made his debut for Stuttgart on 5 February 2020 in the 2019–20 DFB-Pokal against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.[7] He suffered a hip injury later that season, which ruled him out for the entire 2020–21 season.[8][9]
On 1 September 2022, Mola signed for EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan deal including an option to buy.[10] He made his debut on 13 September against Watford.[11] Blackburn Rovers opted against activating the buyout option in his loan contract at the end of the season.[12]
On 26 August 2023, Mola's contract with VfB Stuttgart was terminated by mutual consent.[13]
On 1 September 2023 Mola signed a one-year contract with Reading.[14]
On 8 May 2024, the club announced he would be released in the summer once his contract expired.[15]
Bristol Rovers
On 25 June 2024, Mola agreed to join fellow League One side Bristol Rovers on a three-year deal with the option for a further season.[16] On 5 October 2024, he scored a first senior goal, volleying home his side's second goal as they came from behind to defeat Burton Albion.[17] During the second-half of the 2024–25 season, he found game-time more limited, particularly following the managerial appointment of Iñigo Calderón, however he returned to the first-team from March 2025 as the Gas were relegated.[18]
In January 2026, with Rovers struggling in League Two, new manager Steve Evans moved Mola into a midfield position where he began to impress, being described by local press as a "player reborn".[19][20][21] In April 2026, ahead of the final game of the season, he admitted that this move into midfield had turned around his career with the Gas.[22]
International career
Born in England, Mola is of Congolese descent. He is a youth international for England.[23]
On 6 September 2021, Mola made a goalscoring debut for the England U20s during a 6–1 victory over Romania U20s at St. George's Park.[24]
On 4 October 2021, Mola received his first call up to the England U21s as an injury replacement for Levi Colwill.[25] On 16 November 2021, Mola made his U21 debut during a 3–2 defeat to Georgia in Batumi.[26]
Personal life
In March 2026, Mola was told to "grow up" by a magistrate after telling a court he did not know he needed car insurance to drive in the UK. He was handed a three-year ban and fined £2,238 having been pulled over in November of the previous year.[27]
Career statistics
Club
- As of end of 2025–26 season[28]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2019–20 | 2. Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2021–22 | Regionalliga Südwest | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2022–23 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Reading | 2023–24 | League One | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Bristol Rovers | 2024–25[29] | League One | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 |
| 2025–26[30] | League Two | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Total | 66 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 76 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 114 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 133 | 1 | ||
- Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy