- Nationality: Zambia
- Age: 17
- Date of Birth: 17/06/2006
- Current club: Kafue Celtic FC
- Former club(s): Atletico Lusaka
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Secondary position: Centre Midfield, Centre Back, Left Back
- Preferred foot: Right
- Height: 175 cm
- Contract: Unknown
Aaron Mbemba is a Zambian defensive midfielder who caught the eye with his performances in the UEFA U16 Development tournament last year and more recently in the AFCON U17 tournament that took place in May of this year.
Mbemba is a versatile player and has proven that he is capable of playing in a number of different positions on the pitch. Primarily he is a defensive midfielder and this is where he is utilised on the international stage. However, at club level he has been used as a left back and centre back, and did a very good job at both, it has to be said.
Mbemba possesses an extensive passing range that allows him to dictate the tempo when playing as a defensive midfielder. His excellent passing abilities can be used to when looking to build an attack from the back a we can see above. Additionally, it has the potential to be extremely useful when transitioning from defence to attack.
The Zambia U17 captain has good vision and is able to execute his long passes well, often finding the desired target. Upon receiving the ball in the middle of the park, he will look to spray a pass out to the wide areas so the wingers can attack their opponent in a 1v1 siutation.
Mbemba will look to push up higher during the attacking phase as it allows him to be on hand to recycle possession. He often takes up good positions outside the penalty area that mean he is able to recover any clearances from the opposition and is on hand to try and prevent a counterattack.
Moreover, Mbemba is comfortable carrying the ball forward when no passing options present themselves. As we can see here, he is able to carry the ball into the opposition penalty area, using his close control and short burst of acceleration to ensure the opposition players cannot get near him. When running with the ball, he retains a reasonably low centre of gravity which makes it difficult for opponents to successfully regain possession.
The 17 year old is able to find good positions to ensure that he is always available to receive a pass from a teammate. As we can see above, Mbemba understands that his teammate is under pressure and immediately moves to ensure he is open to the pass. He frequently scans the pitch to assess what is around him and is comfortable receiving the ball on the turn to evade an opponent.
Defensively Mbemba is also a very confident player, he is able to read the play well and knows where to position himself in order to step in and make an interception as shown above. However, there are occasions when 1v1 with an opponent where he can be a little slow to react so the opposition player can dribble past him. The Zambian very rarely goes to ground to tackle, much preferring to use his physical strength to outmuscle his opponent. This, of course, means he is less likely to give away needless fouls and is one of the reasons why he can also be effectively utilised as a centre back.
He has good acceleration over short distances which can be useful in defensive situations as it means he can make useful recovery runs. It also means he can track back at a reasonable pace too.
In the images above, the Zambia left back has stepped out of the defensive structure and left space for the opposition to exploit. Mbemba is able to provide cover and successfully recover possession.
On the whole, Aaron Mbemba is an excellent prospect, he has a great skillset for a defensive midfielder. He is still young and some of his traits need refining but he is one to watch in the future.
