Merveille Papela

Matondo-Merveille Papela (born 18 January 2001) is a German footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Darmstadt 98.

Club career
Papela made his professional debut for Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on 3 January 2021, coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute for Phillipp Mwene against Bayern Munich. The away match finished as a 5–2 loss.

On 24 August 2022, Papela joined SV Sandhausen on a season-long loan.

On 20 May 2024, Mainz 05 announced that Papela will leave the club after this season.

On 26 June 2024, Papela signed with Darmstadt 98.

International career
Born in Germany, Papela is of Congolese descent. He has appeared for the Germany under-15 to under-18 and under-20 national teams. He was included in the Germany U17 team for the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in England. He made three appearances in the tournament, in which Germany were eliminated in the group stage.