Jacinto "Gelson" Dala (born 13 July 1996) is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a forward for the Angola national team.

Club career

Born in Luanda, Gelson began his career with local C.D. Primeiro de Agosto. In July 2015, it was reported that he was being scouted by Portugal's S.L. Benfica. He scored 23 goals in 27 games as his team won the Girabola in 2016, and subsequently he and teammate Ary Papel signed for Sporting Clube de Portugal for undisclosed fees on contracts with €60 million release clauses.

After arriving in Lisbon in January 2017, Gelson made his debut for Sporting B in LigaPro on 15 January, playing the full 90 minutes of a 4–0 loss at Portimonense. Eight days later he scored his first goal, opening a 1–1 home draw with S.C. Covilhã. He totalled 13 goals in 17 games in his first season in the league, including four on 2 April in a 5–1 win over S.C. Olhanense. He was first called up to Jorge Jesus' main squad for the Primeira Liga match at C.D. Feirense on 13 May, remaining unused in a 2–1 loss, but made his top flight debut eight days later in the final match of the season, replacing namesake Gelson Martins at the end of a 4–1 win over G.D. Chaves at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Back in the reserves on 30 September 2017, Gelson scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 home win over C.D. Santa Clara.

International career Gelson made his international debut for Angola on 13 June 2015 in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against the Central African Republic at the Estádio Nacional da Tundavala, scoring twice in a 4–0 victory. On 4 July, he scored both goals in a win over Swaziland in Luanda to win the tie 4–2 on aggregate in the preliminary round of 2016 African Nations Championship qualification.

On 20 January 2024, in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, he scored a brace in their 3–2 win over Mauritania. On 27 January 2024, he scored a first half brace for 10 men Angola in their Round of 16 win over Namibia.

On 3 December 2025, Dala was called up to the Angola squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals1º de Agosto2013Girabola42———42201419921——21102015268———2682016272310——2823Total76423100007943Sporting CP B2016–17LigaPro1713———17132017–1864———64Total23170000002317Sporting CP2016–17Primeira Liga10000000102017–1800100000102018–190000000000Total1010000020Rio Ave (loan)2017–18Primeira Liga501100—612018–19195003121247Total245113121308Antalyaspor (loan)2019–20Süper Lig6031——91Rio Ave (loan)2019–20Primeira Liga1460000—1462020–21313320021366Total4593200215012Al-Wakrah2021–22Qatar Stars League171131970029192022–23201510310024162023–242170000102272024–251240000101242025-267210000082Total703741128109545Career total25111116615952287128

International

Scores and results list Angola's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dala goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Gelson DalaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 13 June 2015 Estádio Nacional da Tundavala, Lubango, Angola 1–0 4–0 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification2 3–03 4 July 2015 Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola 1–0 2–0 2016 African Nations Championship qualification4 2–05 24 October 2015 Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola 1–1 1–2 2016 African Nations Championship qualification6 13 November 2015 Estadio Nacional de Ombaka, Benguela, Angola 1–0 1–3 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification7 21 January 2016 Stade Huye, Butare, Rwanda 1–3 2–4 2016 African Nations Championship8 3 September 2016 Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola 1–1 1–1 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification9 10 June 2017 Stade du 4 Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 1–1 1–3 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification10 9 September 2018 Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola 1–0 1–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification11 12 October 2018 Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola 4–1 4–1 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification12 13 October 2020 Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior, Rio Maior, Portugal 3–0 3–0 Friendly13 1 June 2022 Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola 2–1 2–1 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification14 5 June 2022 Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, Antananarivo, Madagascar 2–1 1–1 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification15 13 October 2023 Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, Albufeira, Portugal 1–1 1–1 Friendly16 10 January 2024 Police Officers' Club Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2–0 3–0 Friendly17 20 January 2024 Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast 1–0 3–2 2023 Africa Cup of Nations18 2–119 27 January 2024 Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast 1–0 3–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations20 2–021 25 March 2025 Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola 1–1 1–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification22 17 December 2025 Estádio centro de treinamento, Almancil, Portugal 1-0 4-1 Friendly match23 26 December 2025 Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco 1–0 1–1 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours Angola Four Nations Tournament bronze medal: 2018

Notes

References

External links

Gelson 1º de Agosto profile