Who is the only player to have scored two goals in the first half of a Manchester City match at the Etihad Stadium this season?Surprisingly, the answer is Erling Haaland. Ni even Julian Alvarez. The player is RB Leipzig striker Lois Openda.
The Belgian foreigner has been a revelation in the Bundesliga since arriving from Lens in the summer. His record of 11 goals and 4 assists puts him among the five most sensible players in the festival in terms of goals this season and it’s not a good run.
Openda has taken more shots than any Bundesliga player, including Harry Kane. Only Kylian Mbappé has made more shots than him in the main European leagues. At 23 years old, Leipzig seems to have made the right decision, and so it will be. latest.
When asked via Sky Sports why he chose Leipzig, Openda explained: “It’s the best team for me to progress. If you look at the way they play, the way they defend, the way they attack, the flavor of the game is a smart bond. with me because he’s a player with my profile. “
He cites the examples of Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons, who also joined in the summer. “I talked with my family and they said it was a top club for the development of the player because I am really young and they give a lot of confidence to young players,” he adds.
“That’s why they also made this decision. This team is the most sensible for the progress of the most productive players and I need to be the most sensible player. I need to play for the most productive teams in the world. I hope I will. This decision to move to Leipzig can help me. That’s why I came here to Leipzig. “
During a 30-minute conversation with a small group of journalists, this self-confidence becomes apparent. He talks about his idolatry of Didier Drogba as a child. ” I wanted to be the most sensible striker like him one day. Will it be bigger than him? I have to paint it. “
With a disarming smile, it never comes across as arrogance. Not least because there have been moments of doubt, moments when confidence was lost. His final 19 games for boyhood side Club Brugge did not yield a goal. A loan move proved the catalyst.
“I didn’t have a lot of confidence and I wanted to move to Vitesse, a smart club in Holland. I went there to get minutes. To show my quality, to regain that confidence. “With the help of head coach Thomas Letsch, now in Bochum, Openda was able to do just that.
“The coach was top, he helped me a lot. From the first day, he told me I would play and show my quality, ‘I believe in you.’ When you hear this from a coach, it is top. Since then, the confidence I had when I was young playing for the youth team was back.”
It has been nothing but success ever since.
Openda describes his two years at Vitesse as “perfect” and chooses the same word when recalling his year at Lens – with good reason. He scored 21 goals in Ligue 1, including a hat-trick inside five minutes against Clermont, the competition’s fastest for 56 years.
This was enough to convince Leipzig that they were fit to meet the next challenge and their religion was rewarded. His participation in the World Cup in Belgium is brief, as he is a player with talent for big occasions, as evidenced by those aspirations against Manchester City.
“Scoring City is not easy,” he said. However, not only did he achieve it twice in Manchester, he also scored at home. His first goal of 2023 came on New Year’s Day against Paris Saint-Germain. His first goal in the Bundesliga against Bayer Leverkusen.
Since then, Openda has scored against Bayern Munich, following a trend that characterizes his young career. He’s a great player. He scored three goals in four games against Ajax and equalled that goal record against Feyenoord.
His speed and power, along with his ability to shoot quickly, can upset any team and there will be opportunities to prove that record in big games in the coming days, weeks and months. Leipzig faces Real Madrid in the Champions League.
But before that, there will be a big Bundesliga match against leaders Leverkusen on Saturday. Leipzig are in fourth place on 12 points, but the stakes are high as Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund are only one point away from chasing them.
“We have our objectives. The first part of the season was good. It could be better. We still want to be in the top four. We have time to be better. Now we are focused for the second part of the season. It is important for us to stay in the Champions League.”
These are the club’s goals. For now, they are aligning themselves with those of Openda. Talk about feeling welcome. From day one I feel at home. Have a strong connection with your peers. Checkered with an impressive head coach in Marco Rose.
“We have a formula that allows us to enjoy football and show our qualities. The coach is wise and knows where to place the players. “He added: “Here I have everything to train, recover and then do my paintings. “the field on the weekend. “
He talks of committing to stay for this season and next.
“I have signed a contract for five years. I am good here. I am focused for this season because it is important for my development and we will have next season [here] because it is really important for me. I don’t want to say anything about leaving. I feel really good here.”
But the message is clear. When Openda talks about Leipzig as “the best team to progress”, the important thing is that they are just getting started. He cites one of his goals at City as his favourite, but adds: “I need to score as many goals as I do all the goals. “
There’s more to come.
“I know I am not perfect. I have missed some goals. I want to change this and score one or two goals every game and be the top scorer.
“I know I can do it.”