# Loïs Openda

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

## Club career
### Early career

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

### 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.

#### Loan to Vitesse

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

### Lens

On 6 July 2022, Lens announced the signing of Openda on a five-year deal from Club Brugge. The striker scored his first goal against Inter Milan in a friendly game on 22 July. On 28 October, he scored his first hat-trick for Lens in a 3–0 win over Toulouse. 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.

### RB Leipzig

On 14 July 2023, Openda signed for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a five-year contract. The transfer fee reported was in the region of €43 to €46 million, with potential bonuses adding up to €6 million. On 19 August, he scored his first goal on his Bundesliga debut in a 3–2 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen. On 4 October, he netted his first Champions League goal in a 1–3 home defeat against Manchester City. On 28 November, Openda scored twice at the City of Manchester Stadium against Manchester City, although his team lost 3–2. 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.
On 31 August 2024, Openda scored two goals against Bayer Leverkusen to end their unbeaten Bundesliga streak for the first time in 15 months.

## International career

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

## Personal life

Openda is of Moroccan and Congolese descent. Openda is a Christian.

## 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 | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Club Brugge | 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 4 |
| Club Brugge | 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 25 | 1 |
| Club Brugge | Total | Total | 35 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | — | — | 53 | 5 |
| Vitesse (loan) | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 33 | 10 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 38 | 13 |
| Vitesse (loan) | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 33 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 24 |
| Vitesse (loan) | Total | Total | 66 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 88 | 37 |
| Lens | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 21 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 42 | 21 |
| RB Leipzig | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 34 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 28 |
| RB Leipzig | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 25 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 12 |
| RB Leipzig | Total | Total | 59 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 80 | 40 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 198 | 85 | 19 | 7 | 41 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 262 | 101 |
* ↑ Includes Belgian Cup, KNVB Cup, Coupe de France, DFB-Pokal
* ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
* 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
* ↑ Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs
* ↑ Appearance in DFL-Supercup

### International

    As of match played 17 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Belgium | 2022 | 6 | 2 |
| Belgium | 2023 | 8 | 0 |
| Belgium | 2024 | 12 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 26 | 3 |
Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Loïs Openda :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 8 June 2022 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Poland | 6–1 | 6–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A |
| 2 | 18 November 2022 | Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait | Egypt | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 14 October 2024 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | France | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |

## Honours

Club Brugge
* Belgian Pro League: 2019–20
* Belgian Super Cup: 2018
RB Leipzig
* DFL-Supercup: 2023
Individual
* Eredivisie Player of the Month: May 2022
* UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: March 2023, April 2023
* UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2022–23