Lois Openda interview: RB Leipzig forward on scoring at Man City, idolising Didier Drogba and aiming for the top | Football News

Quiz query. Who is the solely participant to attain twice in the first half of a Manchester City sport at the Etihad Stadium this season? Perhaps surprisingly, the reply just isn’t Erling Haaland. It just isn’t even Julian Alvarez. The participant is RB Leipzig forward Lois Openda.

The Belgium worldwide has been a revelation in the Bundesliga since arriving from Lens in the summer time. His report of 11 targets and 4 assists places him amongst the top 5 gamers in the competitors for purpose involvements this season and it’s no scorching streak.

Openda has had extra pictures than any Bundesliga participant, together with Harry Kane. Only Kylian Mbappe has had extra makes an attempt than him throughout Europe’s main leagues. At 23, Leipzig seems prefer it was the proper step – and it’s unlikely to be his final one.

Asked by Sky Sports why he selected Leipzig, Openda explains: “It was the perfect team for me to progress. If you look how they play the game, how they defend, how they attack, the playing style is a good connection with me as a player with my profile.”

He cites the examples of Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons, who additionally joined in the summer time. “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 provides.

“That is why they also made this move. This team is top for the development of top players and I want to be a top player. I want to play for the best teams in the world. I hope I will do that. The move to Leipzig can help me to do that. That is why I came to Leipzig.”

Throughout the course of a 30-minute dialogue with a small group of journalists, that self-belief shines via. He talks of idolising Didier Drogba when he was a baby. “I wanted to be one day a top striker like him. Why not be better than him? I have to work on that.”

With a disarming smile, it by no means comes throughout as conceitedness. Not least as a result of there have been moments of doubt, moments when confidence was misplaced. His last 19 video games for boyhood facet Club Brugge didn’t yield a purpose. A mortgage transfer proved the catalyst.

“I did not have a lot of confidence and I decided to go to Vitesse, a good club in Holland. I went there to have minutes. To show my quality, to get this confidence back.” With the assist of head coach Thomas Letsch, now at Bochum, Openda was ready to do this.

“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 however success ever since.

Openda describes his two years at Vitesse as “perfect” and chooses the similar phrase when recalling his 12 months at Lens – with good purpose. He scored 21 targets in Ligue 1, together with a hat-trick inside 5 minutes towards Clermont, the competitors’s quickest for 56 years.

It was sufficient to steer Leipzig he was prepared for the subsequent problem and that religion has been rewarded. His involvement in the World Cup for Belgium was transient as a result of this can be a participant with a aptitude for the huge event – as these targets towards Manchester City present.

“To score against City is not easy,” he says. Yet, not solely did he handle it twice in Manchester, he scored in the residence sport too. His first purpose of 2023 got here on New Year’s Day towards Paris Saint-Germain. His first Bundesliga purpose was towards Bayer Leverkusen.

Openda has since scored towards Bayern Munich, persevering with a development that has been a characteristic of his fledgling profession. This is a big-game participant. At Vitesse, he scored three targets in 4 appearances towards Ajax and matched that scoring report towards Feyenoord.

His tempo and energy, coupled with a capability to get pictures off rapidly, means he can bother any workforce and there will likely be alternatives to showcase this big-game report in the coming days, weeks and months. Leipzig face Real Madrid in the Champions League.

But earlier than that there’s a huge Bundesliga sport towards leaders Leverkusen on Saturday. Leipzig are 12 factors behind in fourth spot however with lots to play for given they’re just one level behind Stuttgart and have Borussia Dortmund chasing them.

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“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.”

Those are the membership’s targets. For now, they align with Openda’s. He talks of being made to really feel welcome. “From the first day I feel like I am at home.” Of having a robust connection along with his team-mates. Of working with a powerful head coach in Marco Rose.

“We have a system where we can enjoy the football and show our quality. The coach is really intelligent and knows where to put the players.” He provides: “I have everything here to train, to have my recovery, and then to do my job on the pitch at the weekend.”

He talks of committing to remain for this season and subsequent.

“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 evident. When Openda talks of Leipzig being “the perfect team for me to progress” the key level is that he’s simply getting began. He names considered one of his City targets as his favorite however provides: “I want to score so many goals that I forget all the goals.”

There is rather more to come back.

“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 do know I can do it.”