Gelson Dala
Angolan footballer (born 1996)
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Jacinto Muondo "Gelson" Dala (born 13 July 1996) is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a forward for Al-Wakrah in the Qatar Stars League.
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Gelson with Sporting CP in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jacinto Muondo Dala | ||
| Date of birth | 13 July 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Luanda, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Wakrah | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2013 | 1º de Agosto | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | 1º de Agosto | 72 | (46) |
| 2017–2018 | Sporting B | 23 | (17) |
| 2017–2020 | Sporting CP | 1 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Rio Ave (loan) | 24 | (5) |
| 2019 | → Antalyaspor (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Rio Ave (loan) | 14 | (6) |
| 2020–2021 | Rio Ave | 31 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | → Al-Wakrah (loan) | 17 | (11) |
| 2022– | Al-Wakrah | 62 | (28) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015– | Angola | 56 | (22) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 29 December 2025 | |||
Club career
Born in Luanda, Gelson began his career with local C.D. Primeiro de Agosto. In July 2015, it was reported that he was being scouted by Portugal's S.L. Benfica.[1] He scored 23 goals in 27 games as his team won the Girabola in 2016, and subsequently he and teammate Ary Papel signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal for undisclosed fees on contracts with €60 million release clauses.[2]
After arriving in Lisbon in January 2017, Gelson made his debut for Sporting B in LigaPro on 15 January, playing the full 90 minutes of a 4–0 loss at Portimonense. Eight days later he scored his first goal, opening a 1–1 home draw with S.C. Covilhã. He totalled 13 goals in 17 games in his first season in the league, including four on 2 April in a 5–1 win over S.C. Olhanense.[3] He was first called up to Jorge Jesus' main squad for the Primeira Liga match at C.D. Feirense on 13 May,[4] remaining unused in a 2–1 loss, but made his top flight debut eight days later in the final match of the season, replacing namesake Gelson Martins at the end of a 4–1 win over G.D. Chaves at the Estádio José Alvalade.[5]
Back in the reserves on 30 September 2017, Gelson scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 home win over C.D. Santa Clara.[6]
International career
Gelson made his international debut for Angola on 13 June 2015 in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against the Central African Republic at the Estádio Nacional da Tundavala, scoring twice in a 4–0 victory.[1] On 4 July, he scored both goals in a win over Swaziland in Luanda to win the tie 4–2 on aggregate in the preliminary round of 2016 African Nations Championship qualification.[7]
On 20 January 2024, in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, he scored a brace in their 3–2 win over Mauritania. On 27 January 2024, he scored a first half brace for 10 men Angola in their Round of 16 win over Namibia.
On 3 December 2025, Dala was called up to the Angola squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[8]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 25 January 2025[9]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 1º de Agosto | 2013 | Girabola | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | |||
| 2014 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 10 | ||||
| 2015 | 26 | 8 | — | — | — | 26 | 8 | |||||
| 2016 | 27 | 23 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 23 | ||||
| Total | 76 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 43 | ||
| Sporting CP B | 2016–17 | LigaPro | 17 | 13 | — | — | — | 17 | 13 | |||
| 2017–18 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 23 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 17 | ||
| Sporting CP | 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Rio Ave (loan) | 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 7 | ||
| Total | 24 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 8 | ||
| Antalyaspor (loan) | 2019–20 | Süper Lig | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Rio Ave (loan) | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 6 | |
| 2020–21 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 6 | ||
| Total | 45 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 12 | ||
| Al-Wakrah | 2021–22 | Qatar Stars League | 17 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 19 |
| 2022–23 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 16 | ||
| 2023–24 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 7 | ||
| 2024–25 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 2025-26 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||
| Total | 70 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 95 | 45 | ||
| Career total | 251 | 111 | 16 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 287 | 128 | ||
- Appearances in FIFA Referees Cup
International
- Scores and results list Angola's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dala goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 June 2015 | Estádio Nacional da Tundavala, Lubango, Angola |  Central African Republic | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 3–0 | |||||
| 3 | 4 July 2015 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola |  Swaziland | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2016 African Nations Championship qualification |
| 4 | 2–0 | |||||
| 5 | 24 October 2015 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola |  South Africa | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2016 African Nations Championship qualification |
| 6 | 13 November 2015 | Estadio Nacional de Ombaka, Benguela, Angola | South Africa | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 21 January 2016 | Stade Huye, Butare, Rwanda |  DR Congo | 1–3 | 2–4 | 2016 African Nations Championship |
| 8 | 3 September 2016 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola |  Madagascar | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 9 | 10 June 2017 | Stade du 4 Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |  Burkina Faso | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 10 | 9 September 2018 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola |  Botswana | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 11 | 12 October 2018 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola |  Mauritania | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 12 | 13 October 2020 | Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior, Rio Maior, Portugal | Mauritania | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 13 | 1 June 2022 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola | Central African Republic | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 14 | 5 June 2022 | Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, Antananarivo, Madagascar | Madagascar | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 15 | 13 October 2023 | Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, Albufeira, Portugal |  Mozambique | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 16 | 10 January 2024 | Police Officers' Club Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |  Bahrain | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 20 January 2024 | Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast | Mauritania | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 18 | 2–1 | |||||
| 19 | 27 January 2024 | Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast |  Namibia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 20 | 2–0 | |||||
| 21 | 25 March 2025 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola |  Cape Verde | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 26 December 2025 | Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco |  Zimbabwe | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |