Felix Kalu Nmecha was born on 10 October 2000 in Hamburg, Germany, to a German mother and a Nigerian father, and the family relocated to England in 2007 when his older brother Lukas joined Manchester City. Felix joined the City academy and made his competitive senior debut in the 2018-19 EFL Cup semi-final against Burton Albion, though his City senior appearances were limited.
In 2021 he transferred to VfL Wolfsburg, where he developed significantly over two seasons across 50 competitive appearances and three goals. In July 2023 Borussia Dortmund signed him on a five-year deal, and he was a contributor to Dortmund's run to the 2023-24 Champions League final and to subsequent senior squads.
Although born in Germany he played for England at youth level before committing to the German national team, debuting in March 2023 and scoring his first international goal against Hungary in the UEFA Nations League.
A 1.92 m central midfielder, Nmecha is built around long stride, ball-carrying through pressure and clean distribution, and is regarded by Dortmund as a long-term central-midfield investment despite controversy around past social media posts that drew criticism from German LGBTQI+ supporter groups.