Mpenza left behind: Openda most successful Belgian per Bundesliga season

14 games left

©IMAGO

With his goal in the 2-0 win against Union Berlin, summer signing Loïs Openda from RB Leipzig broke a 23-year-old Bundesliga record. It was the 14th goal of the season for the 23-year-old Belgian, who has now netted more than his compatriot Emile Mpenza in the 2000/01 season for Schalke 04. This makes Openda the Belgian professional with the most goals in a Bundesliga season. With 14 games still to play, there seems to be no doubt that the Leipzig player can significantly improve on this record if he stays fit.

Before Mpenza, the goal record was also held by Roger Van Gool for 23 years, who scored twelve times for 1.FC Köln in 1977/78 – twice more than in the previous season. In total, the now 73-year-old, who moved to FC from Bruges for the equivalent of 500,000 euros, scored 28 goals in 96 Bundesliga games before moving to Coventry City in 1980 for around 600,000 euros. Dodi Lukébakio also came close to the two former national players this season with eleven goals for Hertha BSC.

Like van Gool and Dodi Lukébakio, Kevin De Bruyne and Thorgan Hazard managed to score ten times each in two different seasons. Nico Claesen and Benito Raman also scored ten goals in one season.

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