Castello Lukeba

Castello Junior Lukeba, also known as Castello Jr. (born 17 December 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the France national team.

Castello Lukeba
Personal information
Full name Castello Junior Lukeba
Date of birth (2002-12-17) 17 December 2002
Place of birth Lyon, France
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 RB Leipzig
Number 23
Youth career
2009–2011 Saint-Genis Laval
2011–2021 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 Lyon B 9 (0)
2021–2023 Lyon 58 (4)
2023– RB Leipzig 7 (1)
International career‡
2018–2019 France U17 6 (0)
2021 France U20 1 (0)
2022– France U21 14 (0)
2023– France 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:29, 23 September 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:11, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Lyon

Having joined the Olympique Lyonnais Academy in 2011, Lukeba signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 July 2021.[2] He made his professional debut for Lyon on the 7 August 2021 as a starter against Brest on 2021–22 Ligue 1 opening round. He played full 90 minutes during the match but it eventually ended in a 1–1 draw.[3] Lukeba made his European football debut on 25 November 2021 on a 3–1 against Brøndby IF in 2021–22 UEFA Europa League group stage. He scored his first goal for the club on 22 December 2021 against Metz with a header, assisted by Rayan Cherki with a cross following a corner.[4] In January 2022, he extended his contract until 2025.[5]

RB Leipzig

On 11 August 2023, Lukeba moved to the German club RB Leipzig for a total reported fee of €34 million,[6] signing a five-year contract.[7] Lukeba repeatedly emphasised his excitement and eagerness to join RB Leipzig, saying "I was extremely keen on joining RB Leipzig and moving to the Bundesliga, so I’m really happy that the move is now complete. I’m excited by the training ground, the stadium, the city and, above all, the team with all the young players– I can’t wait to play football here."[8] He made his debut for Leipzig on 19 August 2023 in a 3–2 loss against Bayer Leverkusen, being substituted on for Nicolas Seiwald in the 62 minute.[9] He scored his first goal for RB Leipzig in a 2–2 draw against Bayern Munich on 30 September 2023.[10]

International career

Born in France, Lukeba is of Angolan descent.[11] He decided to represent France at the international level and received his first call up in France U-21 in November 2021, where he joined his club mates Maxence Caqueret, Rayan Cherki, and Malo Gusto.[12]

On 9 October 2023, Lukeba received his first call-up to the France national team for matches against the Netherlands and Scotland, replacing the injured Axel Disasi.[13]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 12 October 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lyon B 2020–21 CFA 2 70———70
2021–22 CFA 2 20———20
Total 90———90
Lyon 2020–21 Ligue 1 0000——00
2021–22 Ligue 1 242006[lower-alpha 2]0—302
2022–23 Ligue 1 34240——382
Total 5844060—684
Leipzig 2023–24 Bundesliga 71101[lower-alpha 3]00071
Career total 735407000845
  1. Includes Coupe de France, DFB-Pokal
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearance in UEFA Champions League

International
As of match played 17 October 2023
National teamYearAppsGoals
France 202310
Total10

Honours

RB Leipzig

References
  1. "Castello Lukeba". Olympique Lyonnais. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. "First professional contracts for Lukeba, Lega and Bossiwa; Nsombi signs a development deal". www.OL.fr.
  3. "Résultat et résumé OL - Brest, Ligue 1 Uber Eats, 1re journée, samedi 07 août 2021". L'Équipe.
  4. "Après OL – Metz : L'ascension de Castello Lukeba" (in French). Olympique Lyonnais. 23 December 2021.
  5. "Prolongation de Castello Lukeba jusqu'en 2025" (in French). Olympique Lyonnais. 3 January 2022.
  6. "Transfer of Castello Lukeba to RB Leipzig". www.ol.fr. Olympique Lyonnais. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  7. "CASTELLO LUKEBA JOINS RB LEIPZIG". RB Leipzig. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  8. "Castello Lukeba joins RB Leipzig: long-term contract". rbleipzig.com. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  9. Sofascore. "Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig live score, H2H and lineups | Sofascore". www.sofascore.com. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  10. "RB Leipzig 2-2 Bayern Munich (30 Sep, 2023) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  11. "França: Castello Lukeba estreia a titular na principal liga francesa". 9 August 2021.
  12. "Olympique Lyonnais. Castello Lukeba surgit après une progression constante". www.leprogres.fr.
  13. Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Lukeba Called In For Injured Disasi By France". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  14. Lisjak, Mitja (12 August 2023). "Olmo s hat-trickom pokvaril veliki debi Kana pri Bayernu" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
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