The incredible rise of Loïs Openda, Belgium's new star striker and Romelu Lukaku's successor

Loïs Openda is undoubtedly one of the rising stars of European football. The Belgian striker is making a name for himself and is now taking the Bundesliga by storm, playing for RB Leipzig. Read on to discover Openda's rise to the top.

Openda was born in Liège on 16 February 2000.

He started his football career in his hometown, playing in the youth teams of RFC Liège and later for Standard Liège.

In 2015, Openda moved to Club Brugge, one of the biggest teams in Belgium.

He made his first senior appearance on 10 August 2018, but never really established himself in the starting line-up in Bruges after that. In 53 appearances, Openda scored 5 goals and provided 4 assists.

In the summer of 2020, Openda was loaned to Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem.

Openda immediately impressed in the Netherlands, scoring 13 goals in his first season and helping his club reach the Dutch cup final, in which he scored. Vitesse then decided to extend the loan for another season, and Openda had an even better campaign, scoring 24 goals.

His good performances sparked the interest of numerous European clubs, and RC Lens pulled the trigger in July 2022 and signed Openda.

From that moment on, Openda never looked back and quickly became a sensation in Ligue 1. He scored 21 goals in the French league and helped RC Lens finish second, behind champions Paris Saint-Germain.

RC Lens booked their ticket to the 2023/24 Champions League, but Openda did not join the northern French side on their European adventure. Instead, he signed for RB Leipzig, who broke the bank.

In Germany, Openda soon conquered the Bundesliga. In his first six league games, he scored four goals, including one against Bayern Munich.

With Leipzig, Openda would also score his first Champions League goal, against Manchester City in the group stage of the 2023/24 campaign.

At international level, Openda represents Belgium, with whom he made his senior debut on 8 June 2022 against Poland in the Nations League.

He even scored the final goal against the Poles in a comfortable 6-1 win for Belgium.

Openda was subsequently called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but only played in Belgium's opener against Canada.

However, he seems to be the future main striker of the Belgian national team, as the current star forward, Romelu Lukaku, has reached his thirties.

Openda has already established himself at the highest level, but he can still take a few steps forward in his career. The sky is the limit right now for the lightning-fast striker.