Lukas Klostermann: Who is the RB Leipzig and Germany right-back?
Lukas Klostermann isn't the first Bundesliga-based full-back with world-class potential, but he might be the only one of his kind to play for RB Leipzig and Germany, whilst studying for a degree in economics along the way...
Age: 26
Club: RB Leipzig
Position: Right-back
Country: Germany (20 caps)
Key stats
Klostermann played for Gevelsberg and Hagen, before making the step up and joining the Bochum youth team that once fostered the talents of now Germany teammate Leon Goretzka. The 6'2" full-back was handed his professional debut during the latter part of Bochum's 2013/14 Bundesliga 2 campaign, and was even voted the club's Player of the Month for May. After contract talks reached an impasse, the native of Herdecke - a town south of Dortmund in Germany's industrial Ruhr district - was snapped up by Leipzig in summer 2014.
Klostermann enjoyed his first of over 235 senior appearances for the club in the 2014/15 DFB Cup, and went on to become a staple of the side that earned a maiden promotion to the Bundesliga the following year. After recovering from a knee ligament injury that limited him to just one league outing in 2016/17, he netted his first Bundesliga goal in a 2-1 win against Cologne on 1 October 2017, while his five-strike haul in 2018/19 was a league-high among defenders. The 6'1" Leipzig No.16 - a 2021/22 DFB Cup winner, who can also play at centre-back and on the left - is yet to be sent off in over 240 appearances for the U17s right through to the pros.
Klostermann's talents have translated seamlessly onto the international stage. He rose to prominence at U21 level, where he moonlighted as team captain on four occasions, and helped the side earn a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. The former U17 and U19 international was also part of the squad that finished runners-up to Spain at the 2019 UEFA U21 European Championships, appearing at the finals three months after making his senior international debut in a friendly against Serbia. He has five assists to show for his first 20 caps (17 starts).
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Plays a bit like: Philipp Lahm
A versatile full-back who puts his defensive duties first, Klostermann is in the Philipp Lahm mould. Like the 2014 World Cup winner - a top-level full-back and defensive midfielder during a decorated career with Bayern Munich and Germany - Klostermann also uses his pace to overload opposition left-backs and pin down wide players when the chance presents itself.
Did you know?
Although Klostermann could conceivably play at the highest level for at least another 10 years, he's unlikely to be fretting when the time comes to hang up his boots. The Germany up-and-comer ticked a high-school diploma off his to-do list before turning pro, and even studied economics at the University of Hagen. He was also a guest speaker alongside former Leipzig coach and sporting director Ralf Rangnick, as part of a motivational talk with students of the city's university in November 2017.
What they're saying
"It's by no means a given that someone plays so well on his international debut. He played with tempo and did his job defensively." - Joachim Löw following Klostermann's Germany debut in the 1-1 draw with Serbia
"Lukas can play on both sides of the back four. He's quick and he's a winner." - former Leipzig coach, Julian Nagelsmann
"Lukas is one of the five biggest talents in Germany. He's not just quick - he's turbocharged!" - former Germany U21 and Olympics 2016 coach, Horst Hrubesch
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