| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Castello Junior Lukeba | ||
| Date of birth | 17 December 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Lyon, France | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | RB Leipzig | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2011 | Saint-Genis Laval | ||
| 2011–2021 | Lyon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Lyon B | 9 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Lyon | 58 | (4) |
| 2023– | RB Leipzig | 21 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2019 | France U17 | 6 | (0) |
| 2021 | France U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022– | France U21 | 15 | (0) |
| 2023– | France | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:03, 24 February 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:11, 17 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Castello Junior Lukeba, also known as Castello Jr. (born 17 December 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the France national team.
Having joined the Olympique Lyonnais Academy in 2011, Lukeba signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 July 2021.[2] He made his professional debut for Lyon on the 7 August 2021 as a starter against Brest on 2021–22 Ligue 1 opening round. He played full 90 minutes during the match but it eventually ended in a 1–1 draw.[3] Lukeba made his European football debut on 25 November 2021 on a 3–1 against Brøndby IF in 2021–22 UEFA Europa League group stage. He scored his first goal for the club on 22 December 2021 against Metz with a header, assisted by Rayan Cherki with a cross following a corner.[4] In January 2022, he extended his contract until 2025.[5]
On 11 August 2023, Lukeba moved to the German club RB Leipzig for a total reported fee of €34 million,[6] signing a five-year contract.[7] Lukeba repeatedly emphasised his excitement and eagerness to join RB Leipzig, saying "I was extremely keen on joining RB Leipzig and moving to the Bundesliga, so I’m really happy that the move is now complete. I’m excited by the training ground, the stadium, the city and, above all, the team with all the young players– I can’t wait to play football here."[8] He made his debut for Leipzig on 19 August 2023 in a 3–2 loss against Bayer Leverkusen, being substituted on for Nicolas Seiwald in the 62 minute.[9] He scored his first goal for RB Leipzig in a 2–2 draw against Bayern Munich on 30 September 2023.[10]
Born in France, Lukeba is of Angolan descent.[11] He decided to represent France at the international level and received his first call up in France U-21 in November 2021, where he joined his club mates Maxence Caqueret, Rayan Cherki, and Malo Gusto.[12]
On 9 October 2023, Lukeba received his first call-up to the France national team for matches against the Netherlands and Scotland, replacing the injured Axel Disasi.[13]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon B | 2020–21 | CFA 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | CFA 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||||
| Lyon | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| Total | 58 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 68 | 4 | |||
| RB Leipzig | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Career total | 86 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 5 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
RB Leipzig