Emilio Nsue

Emilio Nsue López (born 30 September 1989) is a professional footballer who plays for Segunda Federación club Intercity. Born in Spain, he is the captain and all-time leading scorer of the Equatorial Guinea national team. A versatile player, he plays mainly as a right-back but can also play as a winger.

Nsue began his career at Mallorca, where he appeared in 153 competitive games and four La Liga seasons, and spent time on loan at Real Sociedad and Castellón. In 2014, he joined English club Middlesbrough, and helped them gain promotion to the Premier League in 2016. Nsue signed for Birmingham City in January 2017, and a year later moved into Cypriot football, spending 18 months with APOEL, a season with Apollon Limassol, and another season with APOEL. After six months without a club, he joined Bosnian Premier League club Tuzla City in 2022, before joining Spanish club Intercity later in the same year.

Nsue was born in Spain to an Equatoguinean father and a Spanish mother and initially played for Spain at youth level, winning European championships at under-19 level in 2007 and under-21 level in 2011. In 2013, he made his senior international debut for Equatorial Guinea, his father's country, despite not having Equatoguinean nationality nor permission to switch allegiances. He played in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2015, 2021, 2023, and 2025, finishing as the top scorer in 2023 and receiving the Golden Boot as a result. In 2024, FIFA judges ruled that Nsue was ineligible to play for the Equatorial Guinea national team for his entire career and handed him a playing ban. However, his official change of international allegiance to Equatorial Guinea was approved by FIFA the following year.

Nsue was born in Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands, and began his football career as a forward in the youth system of Mallorca. He made his professional debut for the club on 3 February 2008, playing the last few minutes of a 1–1 draw at Villarreal. He added a few more minutes the following week, in a goalless home draw with Almería.

For 2008–09, Nsue was loaned to Castellón of the Segunda División. Regularly used in a comfortable campaign^{[clarification needed]} for the Valencians, he scored twice in a 4–1 win at home to Levante on 18 October 2008.

Nsue joined another second-tier club, Real Sociedad, on loan for the 2009–10 season. Although rarely a starter, he was an important member of the attack as the Basque team returned to La Liga after a three-year absence.^{[citation needed]}

Nsue returned to Mallorca for 2010–11 and began the season in the starting eleven, the first match being a 0–0 home draw with Real Madrid. On 3 October 2010 he scored his first competitive goal for the club, heading in from a corner in a 1–1 draw at Barcelona. He appeared in all 38 league games and netted four times as his team narrowly avoided relegation.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011–12 Nsue played in several matches as an attacking right back, and totalled nearly 2,000 minutes of action (20 starts) to help Mallorca rank eighth.^{[citation needed]} After conversations with manager Joaquín Caparrós during pre-season, it was agreed that he would start the following campaign in that position.