Wikipedia

Loïs Openda

Ikoma-Loïs Openda (born 16 February 2000) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus and the Belgium national team.

Loïs Openda
Openda with Belgium in 2026
Personal information
Full name Ikoma-Loïs Openda[1]
Date of birth (2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 26)
Place of birth Liège, Belgium
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position Striker
Team information
Current team
 Juventus
Number 20
Youth career
2008–2011 Patro Othee FC
2011–2013 RFC Liège
2013–2015 Standard Liège
2015–2018 Club Brugge
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 Club Brugge 35 (4)
2020–2022 → Vitesse (loan) 66 (28)
2022–2023 Lens 38 (21)
2023–2026 RB Leipzig 69 (33)
2025 → Juventus (loan) 24 (1)
2026– Juventus 0 (0)
International career‡
2015 Belgium U15 4 (0)
2015 Belgium U16 4 (3)
2016–2017 Belgium U17 17 (4)
2017 Belgium U18 6 (1)
2018–2019 Belgium U19 10 (7)
2019–2023 Belgium U21 18 (13)
2022– Belgium 33 (3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:29, 19 April 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 03:39, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Club career

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Early career

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Openda played as a youth for Patro Othee FC and RFC Liège before joining the youth academy of Standard Liège.[3]

Club Brugge

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Openda pictured with a fan during his time at Club Brugge.

In 2015, he moved to the academy of Club Brugge, where he made his senior debut on 10 August 2018 in the Belgian Pro League against Kortrijk. Openda replaced Jelle Vossen after 80 minutes.[4]

Loan to Vitesse

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Openda pictured with a fan during his time at Vitesse.

On 21 July 2020, Openda joined Dutch Eredivisie club Vitesse on a season-long loan deal.[5][6][3] He scored his first goal for the club on 3 October, in a 3–0 win over Heracles Almelo.[7] Vitesse reached the final of the KNVB Cup, but lost 2–1 to Ajax. Openda scored the only goal for the Arnhem-based team.[8][9] In June 2021, Openda rejoined Vitesse on loan for another season.[10]

Lens

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On 6 July 2022, Lens announced the signing of Openda on a five-year deal from Club Brugge.[11] The striker scored his first goal against Inter Milan in a friendly game on 22 July.[12] On 28 October, he scored his first hat-trick for Lens in a 3–0 win over Toulouse.[13] After eight matches without scoring, on 12 March 2023, he scored the fastest hat-trick in Ligue 1 within four minutes and 30 seconds in a 4–0 away win over Clermont, beating the previous record of Matt Moussilou.[14]

RB Leipzig

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Openda playing for RB Leipzig in 2023.

On 14 July 2023, Openda signed for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a five-year contract.[15] The transfer fee reported was in the region of €43 to €46 million, with potential bonuses adding up to €6 million.[16] On 19 August, he scored his first goal on his Bundesliga debut in a 3–2 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.[17] On 4 October, he netted his first Champions League goal in a 1–3 home defeat against Manchester City.[18] On 28 November, Openda scored twice at the City of Manchester Stadium against Manchester City, although his team lost 3–2.[19] He finished his debut Bundesliga season at the club as their top scorer with 24 goals, only behind Harry Kane and Serhou Guirassy in the league.[20]

On 31 August 2024, Openda scored two goals against Bayer Leverkusen in a 3–2 away victory to end their unbeaten Bundesliga streak for the first time in 15 months.[21]

Juventus

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On 1 September 2025, Openda signed for Serie A club Juventus on an initial loan deal worth €3.3 million, with an obligation to buy for €40.6 million, depending on certain conditions.[22][23]

International career

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On 18 May 2022, Openda was named to the squad for the four 2022–23 UEFA Nations League matches on 3, 8, 10 and 13 June 2022 against Netherlands, Poland (twice) and Wales respectively. He played again against Wales in the UEFA Nations League on 13 September 2022.[24]

On 10 November 2022, he was named in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[25]

Style of play

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Openda is a versatile forward who primarily plays as a central striker, though he is also capable of operating across both flanks due to his background as a winger.[26] Known for his explosive pace and acceleration, he frequently exploits high defensive lines and thrives in quick-transition or counter-attacking systems. His low center of gravity allows him to maintain balance while driving at defenders or making overlapping runs into wide spaces to stretch opposing backlines.

Tactical analyses highlight Openda's high volume of shooting and intelligent off-the-ball movement, particularly his ability to drift wide to create space for midfield runners or a secondary strike partner.[27] While noted for his directness and progressive carries rather than a deeper playmaking or possession-heavy build-up role, he contributes to the defensive phase through an active counter-pressing work rate, frequently winning duels and drawing fouls in advanced areas. Although relatively undersized for a traditional target man, he possesses a strong aerial leap and has scored a portion of his goals from headers through positional anticipation inside the penalty area.

Personal life

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Born in Belgium, Openda is of Moroccan and Congolese descent. [28][29]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 19 April 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Club Brugge 2018–19 Belgian Pro League 204107[b]0—284
2019–20 Belgian Pro League 150307[c]1—251
Total 35440141—535
Vitesse (loan) 2020–21 Eredivisie 331053——3813
2021–22 Eredivisie 33182111[d]44[e]15024
Total 662874114418837
Lens 2022–23 Ligue 1 382140——4221
RB Leipzig 2023–24 Bundesliga 3424108[c]41[f]04428
2024–25 Bundesliga 339438[c]1—4513
2025–26 Bundesliga 2010——30
Total 693363165109341
Juventus (loan) 2025–26 Serie A 241208[c]1—342
Career total 23287237491151310106
  1. ↑ Includes Belgian Cup, KNVB Cup, Coupe de France, DFB-Pokal, Coppa Italia
  2. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  5. ↑ Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs
  6. ↑ Appearance in DFL-Supercup

International

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As of match played 31 March 2026[30]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium 202262
202380
2024121
202550
202620
Total333

Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first.[30]

List of international goals scored by Loïs Openda
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
18 June 2022King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium Poland6–16–12022–23 UEFA Nations League A[31]
218 November 2022Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait Egypt1–21–2Friendly[32]
314 October 2024King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium France1–11–22024–25 UEFA Nations League A[33]

Honours

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References

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  1. ↑ "Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Belgium (BEL)" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 3. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "Loïs Openda". RB Leipzig. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 Droog, Julian (7 August 2020). "Loïs Openda van Vitesse is 'een geschenk van God'". de Gelderlander. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Club Brugge vs. K.V. Kortrijk - 10 August 2018 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Loïs Openda nieuwe aanvaller Vitesse (video)" (in Dutch). SBV Vitesse. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Loïs Openda mag jaartje rijpen bij Vitesse: "Wil veel goals maken"". sporza.be (in Dutch). 21 July 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Vitesse ruim langs Heracles, Openda voor het eerst trefzeker". eredivisie.nl (in Dutch). Eredivisie. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Lammers, Lex (18 April 2021). "Droom Vitesse spat uiteen in een akelig lege Kuip". de Gelderlander (in Dutch).
  9. ↑ "Ajax breidt trofeeënkast uit met 20e KNVB-beker, ondanks goal van Openda". sporza.be (in Dutch). 18 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Vitesse huurt aanvaller Openda nog een seizoen van Club Brugge". nu.nl (in Dutch). 23 June 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "LOÏS OPENDA, UN ÉCLAIR VENU DE BELGIQUE". rclens.fr (in French). RC Lens. 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Tuttosport: AC Milan target Openda and a beautiful goal against Inter: 'predestined'". 14 December 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Openda hits hat-trick as Lens march on". Ligue 1. 28 October 2022.
  14. ↑ le Coz, Yohann (12 March 2023). "LIGUE 1 - Loïs Openda (RC Lens) inscrit le triplé le plus rapide de l'histoire du championnat face à Clermont". Eurosport (in French).
  15. ↑ "Done deal! RB Leipzig sign Loïs Openda". RB Leipzig. 14 July 2023. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023.
  16. ↑ Barbaud, Maxime (14 July 2023). "Le RB Leipzig met enfin la main sur Loïs Openda". Foot Mercato (in French). Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Bayer Leverkusen düpiert RB Leipzig im Duell der Mitfavoriten" (in German). Ran. 19 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023.
  18. ↑ Begley, Emlyn (4 October 2023). "Leipzig 1-3 Manchester City: Substitutes Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku help City clinch late win". BBC Sport.
  19. ↑ "RB Leipzig beaten by Manchester City despite Loïs Openda double". Bundesliga. 28 November 2023. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  20. ↑ Sharma, Abhinav (19 May 2024). "Bundesliga top scorers 2023-24: Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy & players with the most goals in Germany this season". Goal.com.
  21. ↑ "Loïs Openda strikes twice as RB Leipzig end Leverkusen's unbeaten league run". The Guardian. 31 August 2024.
  22. ↑ "Lois Openda is Bianconero!". Juventus FC. 1 September 2025.
  23. ↑ Wilson, Sam (1 September 2025). "Official: Lois Openda signs for Juventus". Football Italia.
  24. ↑ "32 Rode Duivels voor 4 duels in juni: Onana en Openda zijn nieuw" [32 Red Devils for 4 duels in June: Onana and Openda are new]. sporza.be. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  25. ↑ "Roberto Martinez selects 26 Devils for the World Cup". Royal Belgian Football Association. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  26. ↑ "Loïs Openda: Who is RB Leipzig's goal machine?". bundesliga.com.
  27. ↑ Miller, Nick. "Lois Openda: The explosive forward firing RB Leipzig". The Athletic.
  28. ↑ "Le jeune Brugeois Lois Openda un lion en devenir". LionsdeAtlas.
  29. ↑ "Les ambassadeurs congolais de Belgique sont de retour ce vendredi ! - Leopard Leader Foot". Leopard Leader Foot.
  30. 1 2 "Loïs Openda". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  31. ↑ "Belgium 6–1 Poland". UEFA. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  32. ↑ "Belgium 1–2 Egypt". ESPN. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  33. ↑ "Belgium 1–2 France". UEFA. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  34. ↑ Lisjak, Mitja (12 August 2023). "Olmo s hat-trickom pokvaril veliki debi Kana pri Bayernu" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  35. ↑ "Seven clubs provide players for Eredivisie team of the month (May)". Eredivisie. 20 May 2022.
  36. ↑ "Loïs Openda, joueur du mois de mars de la Ligue 1 Uber Eats!" [Loïs Openda, player of the month for March in Ligue 1 Uber Eats!] (in French). National Union of Professional Footballers. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  37. ↑ "Loïs Openda, joueur du mois d'avril de la Ligue 1 Uber Eats!" [Loïs Openda, player of the month for April in Ligue 1 Uber Eats!] (in French). National Union of Professional Footballers. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  38. ↑ "Messi, Rongier, Danso... L'équipe type de la saison de Ligue 1" (in French). L'Équipe. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
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