Nordi Mukiele leaves Leipzig after four years and 145 games
Nordi Mukiele has left RB Leipzig for Paris Saint-Germain | The right-back has been hugely important for the Red Bulls | Former coach Julian Nagelsmann said he has a “healthy amount of positive craziness”
After making exactly 100 appearances for RB Leipzig, Nordi Mukiele is moving back to Paris, the city where his footballing career began. As a farewell, we pay tribute to the 24-year-old.
Paris - Laval - Montpellier - Leipzig
Born to Congolese parents in the Paris suburb of Montreuil, Mukiele began his youth career with Paris FC. He made his professional debut for French second division side Stade Laval at the age of 17. In 2017, he moved to Ligue 1 side Montpellier HSC, where he immediately became a first team regular. Then, in the summer of 2018, he made his move to Cottaweg.
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High praise from Rangnick
Our then sporting director, Ralf Rangnick, praised Nordi as “one of the top talents in Europe in his position.” The right-back was clearly delighted with his move to RB Leipzig: “I am very happy that my move to Leipzig has worked out. The ambitions of the club and the way they play suit me perfectly.”
Although Nordi quickly found his feet, his playing time in the first half of the 2018/19 season fluctuated. Sometimes he was in the starting XI, sometimes he was on the bench and he sometimes had to watch from the stands. Towards the end of the season, however, he was in the starting XI a lot more and he got his first assist in a 2-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg and his first goal in a 2-1 defeat to Bremen on the final day of the season.
Second year improvements
Mukiele’s playing time dramatically increased in his second season (2019/20). He played 1,901 minutes in his first season and 2,659 in his second and he played a huge part in Leipzig reaching the semi final of the Champions League, which unfortunately ended in a 3-0 defeat to PSG. In the Bundesliga that year, he scored three goals and made three assists. One of his goals came in a 3-0 win over Werder Bremen and the magazine kicker praised his performance and named him as the Man of the Match.
The Frenchman picked up where he left off at the start of the 2020/21 season. His first Champions goal came in an emotional 4-3 win over Basaksehir in the group stage, which ended with Alexander Sørloth grabbing an injury time winner. He scored three Bundesliga goals that season and he particularly stood out in a 3-0 win over Schalke, when he scored the opening goal, made some key passes and won lots of aerial duels.
He is the type of guy who is always in a good mood, is always laughing and is always jolly. He also wants to improve
Au revoir, Nordi!
Debut for France
In February 2021, former head coach Julian Nagelsmann said: “Nordi is the type of guy who is always in a good mood, is always laughing and is always jolly. He also wants to improve. I really enjoy working with him because he has a healthy amount of positive craziness. I like that. That’s why he will continue to improve.”
In September 2021, Mukiele was rewarded for his hard work and consistent development with a call-up to the France national team, making his debut in a 2-0 win over Finland. Mukiele played for 2,481 minutes in the Bundesliga in the 2021/22 season and was a key part of the turnaround under Domenico Tedesco. In October, he scored against PSG in the Champions League at the Parc des Princes to put his side 2-1 up and although the Red Bulls went on to lose the game 3-2, it will be remembered as one of the most thrilling performances in the first half of that season.
Strong performances until the end
Mukiele’s only Bundesliga goal last season came in a 6-0 win over Hertha BSC, but his most impressive performance was against FC Augsburg on matchday 33. The Red Bulls romped to a 4-0 win and not only did Mukiele assist Nkunku’s two goals, he also won the penalty that led to the fourth goal. Afterwards, Nordi said that he was “very happy” to have helped his team on his 100th Leipzig appearance.
It proved to be his last appearance in the Bundesliga for Leipzig, but Mukiele ended his time at the club in style, by winning the DFB-Pokal.
Thank you for everything, Nordi. We wish you all the best for the future!