Castello Lukeba also owes his athletic upswing at RB Leipzig to teammate Mohamed Simakan. "He is my friend, he helps me a lot, he is very important for me. We talk a lot about things at the club," Lukeba, just 20, said Thursday. The 30 million euros transfer fee, which the German Cup winner had to transfer to Olympique Lyon this summer, means "no pressure" for him, stressed Lukeba, who has the same goals as RB: "The club is young and has great ambitions, just like me."
After the injury of captain and defensive chief Willi Orban (torn lateral ligament in the knee), Lukeba was immediately there. He made his starting eleven debut in mid-September against FC Augsburg (3-0), after which he was indispensable alongside Simakan, with whom he also played in central defense for the France U21s.
In the 2:2 against the German record champions FC Bayern, he scored his first goal in the RB jersey and defended strongly against Harry Kane: "It pushes me when I get to play against such great players. I do my job and I'm happy when he doesn't score a goal against me." Kane scored only on a penalty kick in the 2:2 tie.
Just a few weeks later, France national coach Didier Deschamps nominated Lukeba for the Équipe Tricolore for the first time. He made his international debut in a 4-1 win over Scotland on Oct. 17, when he was substituted at the end of the game. The European Championship is a goal for him, he said, for which "I have to perform well at the club."
Now Lukeba is looking forward to a return of Orban soon. "I have great respect for him," he said, praising the Hungarian international's attitude, "Willi is very strong, he lives it every day. He is my captain. I'm happy when I can play with him."
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