Cabella was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, to an Italian father and a Corsican mother. He started his youth career at local club Gazélec Ajaccio before joining Montpellier's academy at the age of 14, winning the 2009 Coupe Gambardella with their under-19 team.
Cabella signed a three-year professional contract with Montpellier in July 2009. He injured the cruciate ligament in his right knee during training in September and was ruled out for the season. He was sent on loan to Arles-Avignon for the 2010–11 Ligue 1 season, where he scored three goals in 17 league appearances. Cabella signed a two-year extension to his contract in January 2012, which would keep him at the club til 2016. In a 1–0 win over Brest on 4 February 2012, Cabella struck a volley from a cross that struck the back of his teammate Geoffrey Dernis and went into the opposition's net for a goal. Cabella was credited with the assist. On 11 February 2012, in a 3–0 victory over AC Ajaccio, Cabella scored with a right-footed shot across Ajaccio's goalkeeper after being put away by Olivier Giroud. On 20 May 2012, Montpellier won the league title for the first time in its history. In May 2014, Cabella announced his intention to leave the club in the summer.
On 13 July 2014, Cabella signed for Premier League club Newcastle United on a six-year deal, for a reported £8 million transfer fee. He made his competitive debut on 17 August as Newcastle began the season with a 2–0 defeat at home to Manchester City, playing the full 90 minutes. Cabella's only Newcastle goal came on 31 January 2015, opening a 3–0 win away at Hull City. He was subsequently awarded Player of the Month for January by Newcastle fans. During his time with Newcastle, Cabella made 34 appearances in all competitions, scoring just one goal.
On 19 August 2015, Cabella returned to France, signing with Ligue 1 side Marseille on a season-long loan as part of a deal that saw Florian Thauvin transfer to Newcastle. He made his club debut on 23 August 2015, starting in the 6–0 Ligue 1 home victory over Troyes. On 3 December 2015, Cabella scored his first goal for Marseille in a 1–0 win over Rennes in a Ligue 1 match before scoring one goal again 3 days later in a 2–2 draw with Montpellier in another Ligue 1 match. Although Cabella's loan spell at Marseille had ended, he spent the pre-season with the French club, appearing in some friendly matches. On 11 August 2016, Newcastle announced that Cabella's loan switch to Marseille had become permanent ahead of the 2016-2017 season. On 1 March 2017, Cabella scored two goals to level the score twice in a 4–3 extra-time home loss to Monaco in a 2016–17 Coupe de Franceround of 16 match.
On 31 August 2017, Cabella joined Saint-Étienne on a season-long loan deal. On 10 September 2017, Cabella made his competitive debut for Saint-Étienne and scored in the first minute of the match, a Ligue 1 home match against Angers that ended in a 1–1 draw. On 16 August 2018, Cabella joined Saint-Étienne permanently on a four-year contract. On 5 May 2019, he scored a goal and provided two assists in the 3-2 Ligue 1 away win over Monaco. He was later named player of the season of Saint-Étienne.
Krasnodar
On 25 July 2019, Cabella joined Russian club FC Krasnodar for a fee of €12 million. He made his debut on 3 August in a 1–1 draw at FC Zenit St Peterburg, being substituted for Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov after 58 minutes. On 21 August 2019, in the first leg Champions League qualifier against Olympiacos, he suffered an ACL rupture. He missed almost a year during recovery, making his return appearance for Krasnodar on 1 July 2020 in a game against FC Rostov.
As well as the French national side, Cabella also qualifies for the non-FIFA affiliated team of Corsica. Cabella made his Corsican début in 2011 against Bulgaria. He was again called up to the Squadra Corsa in 2016, while at Marseille, to face the Basque Country. Cabella started the match, playing the full 90 minutes.
France
Cabella was named on the stand-by list for France's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. He made his international debut coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Yohan Cabaye in a 4–0 friendly match win over Norway on 28 May 2014 at the Stade de France. On 6 June, Cabella replaced the injured Franck Ribéry on France's 2014 World Cup squad. France reached the quarter-finals, although Cabella did not enter the field of play. After signing for Newcastle, Cabella picked up three more caps for France in September and October 2014, in friendly matches against Spain, Serbia, and Armenia.
