# Lyle Foster

Lyle Brent Foster (born 3 September 2000) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Burnley and the South Africa national team.

## Club career

Foster was promoted to the Orlando Pirates' first team for the 2017–18 season. On 15 September 2017, he made his professional debut against Maritzburg United. He was named among English newspaper The Guardian's top 60 most promising young players in the world. On 22 January 2018, he scored his first goal for Orlando Pirates in a 1–1 draw against Polokwane City.
He signed for Monaco in January 2019 on a deal until June 2023, where he would begin on the reserve team.
On 30 August 2019, Foster joined Monaco's feeder club Cercle Brugge in Belgium on a season-long loan.
On 13 August 2020, Foster joined Vitória de Guimarães for a transfer fee of 1.2 million euro. In 2021, he joined Westerlo on a season-long loan with an option-to-buy.
In the summer of 2022, Foster moved to Westerlo on a permanent basis and signed a four-year contract with the club.
In January 2023, Foster signed for EFL Championship club Burnley on a four-and-a-half-year contract. The transfer fee paid to Westerlo was reported as €7 million, a record for a South African player, which rose to €10 million after the Clarets guaranteed promotion to the Premier League.
On 26 October 2023, signed a new five-year contract with Burnley. In November 2023, he was ruled out for an indefinite period following the reoccurrence of a mental health issue. He made his return after a two month break when Burnley faced Everton and went on to score in their final fixture of the year against Aston Villa.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Orlando Pirates | 2017–18 | South African Premier Division | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Monaco II | 2018–19 | Championnat National 2 | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 |
| Monaco | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Monaco | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Monaco | Total | Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Cercle Brugge (loan) | 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 1 |
| Vitória de Guimarães B | 2020–21 | Campeonato de Portugal | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| Vitória de Guimarães | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| Westerlo (loan) | 2021–22 | Belgian First Division B | 23 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 5 |
| Westerlo | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 8 |
| Burnley | 2022–23 | Championship | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 1 |
| Burnley | 2023–24 | Premier League | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 5 |
| Burnley | 2024–25 | Championship | 24 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 3 |
| Burnley | Total | Total | 59 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 68 | 9 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 149 | 25 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166 | 27 |
* ↑ Includes Nedbank Cup, Belgian Cup, Taça de Portugal, FA Cup
* ↑ Includes Taça da Liga, EFL Cup

### International

    As of match played 11 October 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| South Africa | 2018 | 3 | 0 |
| South Africa | 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| South Africa | 2021 | 1 | 0 |
| South Africa | 2022 | 3 | 1 |
| South Africa | 2023 | 5 | 3 |
| South Africa | 2024 | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 18 | 6 | 6 |
    As of match played 11 October 2024
    South Africa score listed first, score column indicates score after each Foster goal
List of international goals scored by Lyle Foster :
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 9 June 2022 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | 9 | Morocco | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 24 March 2023 | Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | 10 | Liberia | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 24 March 2023 | Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | 10 | Liberia | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 12 September 2023 | Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | 12 | DR Congo | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 6 September 2024 | Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | 16 | Uganda | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 6 | 11 October 2024 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha, South Africa | 18 | Congo | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |

## Honours

Westerlo
* Belgian First Division B: 2021–22
Burnley
* EFL Championship: 2022–23
South Africa U20
* COSAFA U-20 Cup:2017