Marcel Halstenberg's journey at RB Leipzig

Marcel Halstenberg joined RB Leipzig from FC St. Pauli in August 2015 and immediately established himself as a key starter at left-back. At the end of the season, “Halste” and RB Leipzig gained promotion to the Bundesliga, and he provided a crucial assist with a freekick to make it 2-0 in the game against Karlsruher SC, which sealed promotion.

RBL’s number 23 also played a key role in his first season in the Bundesliga, helping the team finish runners-up and to qualify for the Champions League, with him then making his Champions League debut on 13th September 2017 against AS Monaco.

After a cruciate ligament injury in January 2018, the defender was out for nine months, however he quickly fought his way back to full-fitness and regained his starting spot. One of his most important goals was on 2nd April 2019, where he scored a penalty in additional time at the end of extra time in order to secure a 2-1 win and passage into the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.

From August 2021 until February 2022, he was out due to a capsule injury which once again kept him out for a number of months before he made an emotional comeback in the DFB-Pokal game against Hannover 96. It was even more emotional when he scored on his first start back in the Bundesliga since injury on 10th April 2022 against Hoffenheim, which he devoted to his parents who had recently passed away.

"Halste" finally had an injury free second half of the season and won the DFB-Pokal in May. In his final season at RBL, he played in 40 games, captaining the team for the first time on 11th February 2023 against Union Berlin.

In June, "Halste" won the DFB-Pokal for the second season in a row following a strong performance in the 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.