Meschak Elia Lina (born 6 August 1997) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Alanyaspor and the DR Congo national team. He received the best player award after him and his team's win in the 2016 African Nations Championship.
Club career
In July 2019 it was announced that Elia would sign for Belgian First Division A club Anderlecht. He, however, disappeared and allegedly falsified his year of birth, which resulted in a 12-month ban by the Congolese Association Football Federation. In February 2020, FIFA "provisionally cleared" Elia to play again and he signed for Swiss Super League side BSC Young Boys.
On 3 February 2025, Elia joined Nantes in France on loan with an option to buy.
On 12 September 2025, he transferred to Turkey, joining Alanyaspor in the Süper Lig on a three-year deal. He thus departs Young Boys after making exactly 200 appearances for the club, scoring 43 goals and supplying 39 assists.
International career
On 19 May 2026, Elia was included in the 26-man DR Congo national team squad selected by head coach Sébastien Desabre for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Personal life
In December 2024 one of Elia's two sons died unexpectedly.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 16 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| TP Mazembe | 2015–16 | Linafoot | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | ||||||
| 2017–18 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | ||||||
| 2018–19 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | ||||||
| Total | 93 | 21 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 130 | 29 | ||||
| Young Boys | 2019–20 | Swiss Super League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 2 | |
| 2020–21 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | — | 37 | 7 | |||
| 2021–22 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | — | 43 | 10 | |||
| 2022–23 | 31 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | 41 | 12 | |||
| 2023–24 | 32 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | — | 44 | 11 | |||
| 2024–25 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | |||
| Total | 145 | 32 | 11 | 4 | 46 | 7 | — | 200 | 43 | |||
| Nantes (loan) | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| Alanyaspor | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 268 | 57 | 14 | 4 | 77 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 363 | 76 | ||
International
- As of match played 1 July 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2016 | 9 | 5 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 16 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 71 | 12 | |
- Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elia goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 January 2016 | Stade Huye, Butare, Rwanda | Ethiopia | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2016 African Nations Championship |
| 2 | 21 January 2016 | Stade Huye, Butare, Rwanda | Angola | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2016 African Nations Championship |
| 3 | 7 February 2016 | Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda | Mali | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2016 African Nations Championship |
| 4 | 2–0 | |||||
| 5 | 26 March 2016 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo | Angola | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 6 | 9 September 2018 | Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia, Liberia | Liberia | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7 | 27 September 2022 | Stade Père Jégo, Casablanca, Morocco | Sierra Leone | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 28 January 2024 | Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro, Ivory Coast | Egypt | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 9 | 9 June 2024 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo | Togo | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 15 October 2024 | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Tanzania | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 11 | 2–0 | |||||
| 12 | 16 November 2025 | Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | Nigeria | 1–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
TP Mazembe
Young Boys
DR Congo
