50 RBL goals for Emil Forsberg!
Emil Forsberg scored his 50th RB Leipzig goal last weekend against SC Freiburg | The attacking midfielder is in his sixth season at the club | Scoring goals runs in the family
50 competitive goals for RB Leipzig! After hitting 100 goal involvements for the club at the start of the year against Eintracht Frankfurt, our number 10 opened the scoring against SC Freiburg to record his 50th goal in RB colours.
Forsberg is the fifth player to reach the milestone in the club’s history.
Prowess in front of goal is something that runs in the family for the leading figure and fan favourite.
Number 10 – legendary status in Sweden
Emil started his professional career with his hometown club GIF Sundsvall in 2009 and played until 2012, after coming through the club’s youth system. In 2009 Sundsvall and Forsberg achieved promotion from the second division into the Swedish top flight, the Allsvenskan. The young Forsberg, wearing the number 33 shirt, was already a threat in front of goal in his early days – recording 25 goals and 12 assists in 104 games for Sundsvall.
The name ‘Forsberg’ had been called around the ground for a long time – for three generations, in fact. Emil’s father Leif and grandfather Lennart also ran out for the club, each wearing the shirt number 10. All three Forsbergs made their debuts at 17 years of age, and it’s clear to see where Emil got his goalscoring instinct – in almost 400 games for Sundsvall, Leif scored 145 goals.
While grandfather Lennart and father Leif spent their whole careers in Sweden, Emil made the switch abroad to RB Leipzig following a spell with Malmö FF. Continuing the Forsberg football story, Emil fittingly wears the number 10 jersey with the Red Bulls.
First goal against Greuther Fürth and goal to seal promotion
Arriving in the winter break of 2015, Emil instantly became an important part of the RB side but was unable to help the side achieve promotion in his first season. “I think my first six months here were good, but not incredible,” said the attacking midfielder on the start of his RBL career.
Forsberg only missed two games in the following 2015/16 season, going on to score eight goals and record seven assists, including his first-ever goal for the club: the Red Bulls’ second goal in a 2-2 draw at home to Greuther Fürth. At the end of the season, his goal in a 2-1 victory over Karlsruher SC secured promotion to the Bundesliga.
Goal scorer and creator
An all rounder in front of goal, not only has Emil hit 50 goals for RBL, but also laid on many more for his teammates.
His first ever goal involvement came on Matchday 23 of the 2014/15 second division season, setting up Georg Teigl to make it 3-1 in the 13th minute. Since then, Emil has gone on to record 57 assists for the club.
‘Mini Foppa’ registered 22 assists in his first Bundesliga season alone – which is a club record for the most assists in the top flight. Finding the net 8 times himself, the number 10 was involved in 30 goals in the 2016/17 season.
Goal to reach Champions League knockout stage
Forsberg earned a new nickname of ‘Mr Champions League’ when he scored the club’s first-ever goal in Europe’s elite competition when Leipzig drew 1-1 with AS Monaco in the 2015/16 season.
The 30-year-old also proved his ability to come up with moments of magic in Europe when RBL took on Sporting Lisbon in the 2019/20 UCL group stage.
In the return fixture at the RB Arena, Leipzig needed a point to secure qualification for the UCL knockout round for the first time in club history. With the Portuguese side t2-0 up after 60 minutes, it looked as though all would have to be decided against Olympique Lyon in the final matchday...
But then came Emil! Two minutes before the end of regular time, Forsberg showed no signs of nerves from the penalty spot to convert from twelve yards and narrow the gap to just one goal. The Swede was on hand again in the sixth minute of added time. The 1.79m-tall attacking midfielder rose highest in the area to meet a last-ditch cross from Timo Werner and head home to level the game and secure the point to hand us a place in the Champions League last 16!