Brice Samba was born on 25 April 1994 in Linzolo, Republic of the Congo, and holds French nationality. He came through the youth setup of Marseille before moving to Nottingham Forest's academy system and eventually making his senior breakthrough at Le Havre on loan, earning a reputation as a commanding, vocal goalkeeper.
After further loan spells he signed permanently for Nottingham Forest in 2019 and became the first-choice goalkeeper as they embarked on an unexpected rise through the English Football League. He was central to Forest's 2021-22 Championship playoff campaign that earned them promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years — his penalty shootout heroics against Sheffield United in the semi-final, saving three successive spot-kicks, became one of the most celebrated goalkeeping moments in recent English football.
In summer 2022 Racing Club de Lens signed him for around €4 million, and at Lens he became one of the standout Ligue 1 goalkeepers of his era. Two successive strong seasons kept Lens in European competition and Samba consistently ranked among the best shot-stoppers in the division. He has continued as first choice at Lens through the 2025-26 season.
For France he debuted under Didier Deschamps in 2022 and has been a squad option competing behind Hugo Lloris and then Mike Maignan as the senior first choice. His international caps have been limited but he remains part of the expanded squad through the 2026 World Cup cycle.
Standing 1.94 m, Samba is a right-footed goalkeeper whose combination of shot-stopping reflexes, imposing physical presence and authoritative command of his penalty area draw stylistic comparisons with a more vocal Alou Diarra. He is regarded as one of the most reliable domestic-football goalkeepers in Ligue 1 outside of the very top clubs.