He also played top flight football in England for Queens Park Rangers with a spell in the EFL Championship with Aston Villa.

Born in the Parisian suburb of Créteil, Samba began his career with French Ligue 2 club Sedan, having previously played for D’Issy-les-Moulineaux and Rouen.

[7] After progressing through the ranks of the Sedan's Academy, he made his debut for the club in the opening game of the season against FC Istres, starting a match before being sent–off in the 57th minute, in a 2–0 loss.

"[5] Eventually, Samba was signed by Berlin-based club Hertha BSC of the German Bundesliga after being scouted while on international duty at Congo.

[13] He made his first team debut for Hertha BSC, coming on in the 86th minute and played for the rest of the game, as they beat TuS Koblenz in the first round of the DFB Cup.

[23] Two days later on 25 January 2007, he completed a transfer to Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal for £450,000 and taking the number 21 shirt.

[24] Samba made his Blackburn Rovers debut against Luton Town in the FA Cup Fourth Round as a 69th-minute substitute for Ryan Nelsen, as they won 4–0.

[27] On 17 March 2007, he scored his first goal for Blackburn Rovers against West Ham United with a header in the 47th minute, coming in the 1–2 defeat at Ewood Park.

[28] Samba then scored his second goal for the club in a 3–1 victory over Watford at Ewood Park on 18 April 2007, playing the full 90 minutes with Ryan Nelsen at the centre of defence.

[41] At one point during a 2–1 loss against West Ham United, he was involved in altercation with teammate David Dunn after conceding the equalising and the argument carried on in the dressing room at half-time.

[60] Shortly after signing a contract extension, local newspaper The Lancashire Telegraph reported that Samba "must go down as one of the bargains in Premier League history".

[62] Three days later on 20 January 2010, however, Samba was sent–off in the 39th minute for unprofessional conduct, as Blackburn Rovers lost 6–4 to Aston Villa in the second leg of the League Cup semi–finals.

[85] After missing a match against Aston Villa on 26 February 2011, due to an illness, Samba then scored his fourth goal of the season a month later on 14 March 2011, in a 2–2 draw against Blackpool.

Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Samba continued to be linked a move away from Blackburn Rovers, but no offers were made for him throughout the summer transfer window and stayed at the club.

[101] On 31 December 2011, Samba was part of the squad that recorded a win against Manchester United, defeating Alex Ferguson's side at Old Trafford 2–3.

[110] On 24 February 2012, Samba completed a move to Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £12.3 million, with a salary of £100,000 per week.

[120] At the start of the 2012–13 season, Samba helped the club keep six clean sheets and progress to the UEFA Europa League Group Stage after beating the teams of Budapest Honvéd, Vitesse and AZ Alkmaar.

[125] Three weeks later on 22 November 2012, Samba scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Udinese to qualify for the UEFA Europa League Knockout Stage.

[132] Both clubs (Anzhi Makhachkala and Lokomotiv) issued a joint statement, vowing to find the fan who racially abused Samba and publicly punish him.

[136] Samba said: "I feel extremely passionately about racism in football and will never let the small community of racists break me, I'm a strong character and will keep fighting for my team.

I am thoroughly enjoying my time in Russia and although I was of course angry at the racism incident, along with the rest of the football world, racist issues here are no different to what I have experienced in other countries.

On 2 July 2013, Anzhi agreed a fee of £12 million to bring Samba back to Russia after only half a season with QPR following their relegation from the Premier League.

[148] Rangers were looking to cut their wage bill after dropping out of the English Premier Division, with Samba one of the highest earners on a reported £100,000 per week.

[151] Samba made his second debut for Anzhi Makhachkala in the opening game of the season, coming on as a late substitute, in a 2–2 draw against Lokomotiv Moscow.

Dynamo manager Andrey Kobelev explained that Samba is suffering from a herniated disc in his neck and he required a surgery to correct it.

[192] On 31 August 2016, in the last day of the pre-season summer transfer window, Panathinaikos officially announced the capture of Samba who signed a one-season contract with the Greens.

[196] On 20 January 2017, Samba's contract was dissolved by mutual consent despite joining the club over the summer, as he has been hit with injuries since the start of the 2016–17 season.

[201] Samba made his Aston Villa debut, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Hull City in the opening game of the season.

[216] In November 2014, Samba announced his intention to not to play in Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, citing his commitment to Dynamo Moscow.

[229] In January 2013, Samba revealed in an interview with the Guardian that he planned to establish a foundation named after him to create a football school in Congo.