Wanya Marçal
Anglo-Portuguese footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wanya Marçal-Madivadua (born 19 October 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger who last played for EFL Championship club Leicester City. Born in England, he has represented Portugal at youth international level.
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Wanya Marçal during Leicester City's 2024 Championship winning celebrations | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wanya Marçal-Madivadua[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 October 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England[1] | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Youth career | |||
| Feeder Soccer | |||
| 2013–2015 | Peterborough United | ||
| 2015–2022 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2026 | Leicester City | 3 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | → De Graafschap (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2021–2022 | Portugal U20 | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11 May 2025 | |||
Early life
Marçal was born in Portugal, 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]
Club career
Early career
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]
Leicester City
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 12.[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, starting in a 1–0 win against Huddersfield Town on 12 August 2023.[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]
Loan to De Graafschap
On 30 August 2024, Marçal joined Dutch second-tier club De Graafschap in the Netherlands on a season-long loan.[12] He made his club debut on 1 December, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Jesse van de Haar in a 3–1 win against VVV.[13] He scored his first goal for the club on 28 April 2025, in the 58th minute of a 3–1 away defeat against VVV.[14]
International career
Born in England, Marçal is of Portuguese and Angolan descent. He is a youth international for Portugal, having represented the Portugal U20s.[15]
Career statistics
- As of match played 10 January 2026[16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leicester City U21 | 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2022–23 | — | — | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2023–24 | — | — | — | — | 3[c] | 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 | |||
| 2025–26 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||
| De Graafschap (loan) | 2024–25 | Eerste Divisie | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 14 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 28 | 3 | ||
Honours
Leicester City
