Rangers FC Player Profile - Clinton Nsiala

Clinton Nsiala-Makengo was born on 17th January 2004 in Rennes, France. He started playing football at local club Cercle Paul Bert de Bréquigny, where he spent nine years, from age six to 15.

In 2019, he joined the youth academy at Nantes, and was promoted to their U17 in July 2020 having also made three appearances for France U16 where he scored one goal in a 5-2 win away against Italy U16.

AC Milan signed Nsiala on a free transfer in 2021, where he signed his first professional contract and quickly became a regular starter for the U19 team. He made 22 appearances across all competitions, including the Campionato Primavera 1, Coppa Primavera, and UEFA Youth League, scoring one goal, and helped Milan’s U19 reach the semi-finals [2022-23] and final [2023-24] in the UEFA Youth League.

Rangers FC announced the pre-contract signing of Nsiala on 10th June 2024—after he had rejected the offer to extend his contract at Milan—and the player officially joined the club on 1st July.

Speaking at the time of the original announcement, Director of Recruitment Nils Koppen said:

“We are excited to add a talented young player in Clinton to the squad.

“He joins as an exciting talent who we believe can develop and take his next steps under our manager, Philippe Clement, and his staff.

“We look forward to welcoming Clinton to Glasgow as we continue to shape the squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.”

Upon officially signing for the Light Blues on 1st July, Nsiala gave an interview to RangersTV, and said:

“First of all, there’s a huge sense of pride. This club is legendary, with lots of titles and lots of prestige, including in Europe. I’m honestly very honoured to sign for this club.

“I know it’s a club that the fans are very committed to. They put so much heart in getting behind the team in every competition.”

Nsiala joins fellow new signings Liam Kelly [Goalkeeper] and Jefté [Full-Back] as manager Philippe Clement reshapes the Gers squad and adds depth to his defensive options. Other new signings include Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande [Midfield], Óscar Cortés [Winger], and Hamza Igamane [Striker].

“I feel a big sense of responsibility, and lots of anticipation and excitement about experiencing the atmosphere too,” continued Nsiala.

“I know he [the manager] coached at Monaco, as well as in the Belgian league. He always puts a lot of faith in young players. As a young player, that was a big factor for me in my decision to come to Glasgow.

“It helps to have a coach like Philippe Clement. He gives a lot of support to young players, and that doesn’t make it feel like a big step.

“Having a coach like that will help me progress, so I’m not focused on the step up from academy to senior level.”

Even at just 20-years old, Nsiala is at his third club in a third country, and fans will hope his experiences will help him settle in Glasgow quickly enough to make an immediate and positive impact to Rangers’ title challenge this season.