A Journey through Time: 10 Years of Lukas Klostermann at RB Leipzig

On August 22, 2014, Lukas Klostermann became a Red Bull. A decade of promotions, titles and personal successes. We take a look back.
 

October 29, 2014 – Official match debut

• In the 2nd Round of the DFB Pokal against Erzgebirge Aue, the time had finally come! Lukas celebrated his debut for the RBL first team and was in the starting lineup.

  A thrilling match follows: After 20 minutes, the ball is in… but in the wrong goal. After a cross, “Klosti” pushed the ball into the net to make it 0-1. The Red Bulls then attacked, launching one offensive wave after another, but “Klosti” was still uneasy. It’s only in injury time that a certain Yussuf Poulsen relieved his teammate and scored to make it 1-1. RBL won the match in extra time and moved into the next round of the Pokal.

  Lukas Klostermann: “Yussi and I still talk about that game every now and then. I’m still grateful to him today. Who knows how things would have turned out for me without his goal.” (laughs)
   

April 24, 2015 – His first goal

• “Goooooal for RB Leipzig! The goal scorer is the player with the number 16, Lukas…” 

  This announcement from our stadium announcer Tim Thoelke echoed through the Red Bull Arena for the first time in spring 2015. With his goal for a partial 1-1 against SV Darmstadt 98, “Klosti” was an indirect companion for one of the most curious RBL goals of all time.

  In injury time, goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti scored the 2-1. “Afterwards, we carried him on our shoulders around the stadium. It was simply an unforgettable evening and still puts us in a good mood today. It’s one of the great highlights of the past ten years.”

   Who knows whether this memorable home win would have happened without “Klosti’s” 1-1…
   

May 8, 2016 – The Bundesliga promotion

• By the time the 2015/16 season came to an end, there were plenty of reasons to celebrate in Leipzig: RBL sealed the deal and was promoted, with “Klosti”  playing a pivotal role as a starting player (30 appearances).

   

20. August 2016 – Silver in Rio

• “The Olympics was an amazing tournament that I will never forget.” The silver medal has a special place in Lukas Klostermann’s apartment.

  “Klosti” also played a meaningful role in Germany’s medal winning performance in Rio de Janeiro. He was a starter under coach Horst Hrubesch, and his goal against Nigeria in the semi-finals sent Germany into the final.
   

August 13, 2017 – Coming back from a long injury

• Unfortunately, the defender’s injuries have held him back repeatedly during his ten years as a Red Bull. An ACL tear in 2016 meant that “Klosti” had to take a break for almost an entire year.

  But the Westphalian-born player kept fighting his way back: “In recent years, I’ve learned how to deal with injuries and not let them throw me off track. Rehab often goes in waves, there are always highs and lows. The longer you’re a player, the better you learn to deal with it and just keep working on your comeback without letting the negative thoughts take over.”
   

March 19, 2021 – The 100th Bundesliga match

• Lukas celebrated a milestone in the Bielefelder Alm: During the 1-0 victory, our then head coach Julian Nagelsmann let him play the whole game to celebrate “Klosti’s” jubilee (100 Bundesliga games for RBL) and then shared some nice words for our defender.

  Julian Nagelsmann: “If I told him now that he had to run up every staircase in the Red Bull Arena 25 times, he wouldn’t question it. He would run up every staircase 25 times, come back and ask, what was next.”
   

August 29, 2021 – 200 games with the Red Bulls

• At the start of the 2021/22 season, Lukas joined the 200 club. Curiously enough, in the same game, Willi Orban also celebrated his 200th appearance for RBL.
   

Players with at least 200 appearances for RB Leipzig:

• Yussuf Poulsen – 396
• Emil Forsberg – 325
• Willi Orban – 311
• Peter Gulacsi – 303
• Lukas Klostermann – 292
• Kevin Kampl – 247
• Marcel Halstenberg – 240
• Marcel Sabitzer – 229
• Diego Demme – 214
• Timo Werner – 213
   

May 21, 2022 – DFB Pokal Winner

• The 3rd final was the charm! After a nerve-wracking final against Freiburg, including a penalty shootout, the Cup ended in RB Leipzig’s hands for the first time.

  Lightning struck for a second time on June 3, 2023 against Frankfurt. RBL won the Cup again and returned to Leipzig as a successful defending champion.

  Fun fact: Lukas Klostermann played all four DFB Pokal finals (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) the entire game through each time.

January 11, 2024 – Contract extension

• 10 years and no ending in sight! The club symbol stays.

  Lukas Klostermann: “It feels very, very good that our journey together will continue in the coming years. I have been at RB Leipzig for 10 years, have experienced and achieved an incredible amount here. And now we’ll keep pushing forward together. I’m extremely motivated to continue to write our history.”

Dear „Klosti“, we’re looking forward to it!