Nzanza: The Ninja from Palmeira Fulfilled Liga 3 Dream and Now Fills Leça's Coffers

David Nzanza, Leça's key player in their promotion to Liga 3 last season, has been signed by Castellón, a Spanish second-division club.

The deal, valued at 60,000 euros, marks one of the largest transfers ever for a player from the Campeonato de Portugal. Leça will also retain a 20% sell-on clause for any future transfer of the player.

The 'Ninja from Palmeira' departs Leça after an outstanding season, tallying 14 goals and two assists, and playing a pivotal role in securing the Campeonato de Portugal title.

The Angolan striker fulfilled one of the green and white club's dreams, as he predicted in this report originally published by A BOLA on March 23rd.

David Nzanza – the name on everyone's lips in Leça da Palmeira. The Angolan, born in 2003, arrived in Portugal four years ago as a junior, joining SC Braga's U19, U23, and B teams. In Minho, where he landed from Interclube (for whom he debuted in the Angolan league at just 17), he featured in 39 matches and scored four goals.

In 2023/24, the winger ended his association with the 'warriors' and moved to the Czech Republic, playing first for Znojmo and then Baník Ostrava. However, in an interview with A BOLA, the 22-year-old forward admitted he wasn't happy there and subsequently returned to Portuguese football, joining what he described as a "historic" club.

"Going to the Czech Republic wasn't a positive experience for me," the player stated, before adding that among the offers he received to return to Portugal, Leça's instilled the most confidence. David Nzanza now believes, after several months, that joining the Matosinhos-based club was the right decision: "They welcomed me like a son. Here, more than friends, I found a family. They gave me the confidence to be who I am today. I'm very grateful to Leça. And when I say Leça, I mean the entire group."

The season kicked off on August 10th, but it took three months for the attacker to earn his first start. Until then, in seven games coming off the bench, David Nzanza had only scored one goal. The star player would return to the substitutes' bench, but in the following match, he was back in the starting eleven, a position he hasn't relinquished since.

The Luanda-born athlete has started eleven consecutive matches and is now consistently finding the back of the net, with nine goals in that period, averaging almost one per game.

"Initially, I played as a left winger, and I didn't have as many goal-scoring obligations. That 'I have to score, I have to score' mentality wasn't as strong. I knew I needed to score, but it wasn't like playing as a striker. Then, when I changed positions, I started to understand that need to score, because it's a position that demands it," the player explained, clarifying that simply being a starter doesn't fully account for his improved offensive statistics.

What's clear is that David Nzanza's finishing has become increasingly sharp, possibly due to positive pressure: "I know that if I'm starting, I have to score. Otherwise, I'll have to make way for someone else. That's always in my head. And confidence also helped, because after scoring my first goal, I kept my starting spot and continued to score."

Currently, Leça's number 24 is on a scoring streak, having found the net in four consecutive matches.

The Ninja of Leça da Palmeira – that's David Nzanza's nickname. The reason? Domingos Andrade, an FC Porto B player. "Domingos and I grew up together in Angola. We played [at Interclube] and then also went to the national team [U17], always together. Then, I came to Portugal first, and he followed [to Sporting, in 2022], and our friendship continued," he detailed.

Interestingly, it was this special friend who inspired one of the most distinctive celebrations in the current Campeonato de Portugal: the Ninja style.

"Domingos always did that celebration because he liked watching Ninja [the animated show], and he once told me: 'From today, that's going to be my celebration.' And then I started scoring goals and also started doing that Ninja celebration. I asked him, and he said it was fine and that I could do it too," he confided.

Speaking of friends… David Nzanza has one who is also an idol: Vitinha, from Genoa.

"I have two idols in football," the forward said, referring to two stars who, coincidentally, play in the Italian league. "First is Vitinha and then Vardy [Cremonese]. They are fast and good at breaking through defenses," he added, recalling that the Portuguese player, with whom he shared a locker room at SC Braga, "knows he is a reference" for him.

Like the aforementioned players, Leça's striker describes himself as a "very fast" player who "reads the game well." "However, what I really love to do is score goals," he reminded.

David Nzanza dreams of a call-up to the Angolan senior national team: "I'm working towards that. Right now, being in form, I would be very grateful if I had the opportunity to represent my flag, and I would do it with immense pride," he added.

The young athlete also has another major career goal: "To play in the Champions League. I try to seize every opportunity I get day by day to reach higher levels."

In an interview with A BOLA, Leça's talisman confirmed the club's objective of ascending to the third tier of Portuguese football: "Leça is a historic, century-old club; it needs to be at a different level, and we are working towards that. The goal is Liga 3."

Currently, sitting 2nd in Serie B of the Campeonato de Portugal with 41 points – ten more than third-placed Florgrade with five rounds remaining, and only trailing a dominant Rebordosa (51 points and still undefeated) – Leça's presence in the promotion phase is virtually guaranteed.