Background and career
Emilio Nsue López (born 30 September 1989) is a former professional footballer. Born in Spain, he served as captain and became the 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.
