The story of a legend – thanks for everything, Emil!
End of Emil Forsberg’s nine-year spell with RB Leipzig | A man for important goals and big moments | A key figure in RBL's history
It’s time to say goodbye to an RBL legend!
Emil Forsberg joined RB Leipzig from Malmö FF back in January 2015. Nine years later, the Swede is departing the club, leaving behind a wonderful legacy as one of the club’s best ever players.
.Ahead of Emil’s move to New York Red Bulls, we’ve taken a look back at his highlights in Leipzig, as well as his most important statistics.
Thanks for everything, Emil!
Farewell, Emil!
Forsberg's RBL milestones
The beginning
- Emil Forsberg signed his first contract with RB Leipzig on 7th January 2015. He then travelled with the squad directly to Qatar for the winter training camp. Around a month later, Emil made his debut for the club in a 2-0 away defeat against FC Erzgebirge Aue. Things would quickly get better for Emil though.
His first goal for RBL came in 2015/16 and was an important one too. He earned the club a point against SpVgg Greuther Fürth (2-2) as the club went on to secure promotion to the Bundesliga in that campaign. The Swede also got himself on the scoresheet in the game that Leipzig clinched promotion. He made it 1-0 against Karlsruher SC on 8th May 2016.
100th goal contribution for Leipzig
The first season in the Bundesliga
- Forsberg and RB Leipzig’s journey only got better after promotion to the top flight. Emil’s first campaign in the Bundesliga was an incredible one as he set up 22 goals for his teammates – a club record in a single campaign!
Three of these assists came in the dramatic 5-4 defeat at home to FC Bayern. Emil’s goal in the 1-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg on 16th October 2016 was the club’s 500th in all competitions.
The man for important goals
- Our number 10 went on to score so many important goals for the club over the years. On 13th September 2017, Emil opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw against AS Monaco, making him responsible for RBL’s first ever European goal.
Emil continued to be the man for big moments in Europe over the years. He scored the winner in a 3-2 victory over Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League qualifiers in August 2018 to put the club into the group stages. His brace against Benfica on 27th November 2019 dragged RBL back from 2-0 down to secure a 2-2 draw, which secured qualification to the Champions League knockouts for the first time.
Forsberg's magic moments
The title winner
- It was fitting that, after scoring the club’s 500th competitive goal, Emil also got the 1,000th. It came in a 3-1 victory away at Real Sociedad in the Europa League on 24th February 2022. To mark this achievement, our midfielder was honoured with a piece of graffiti style artwork in a tunnel next to the stadium.
Emil finally got his hands on a major title at the end of that season. After his goal at Werder Bremen (2-1) booked our place in the 2021 DFB-Pokal final, he repeated the trick on 20th April 2022 against 1. FC Union Berlin (2-1). Unlike in 2021, we went on to win the cup in 2022 and then defended our crown in 2023 – just after Emil’s 300th competitive game in a Leipzig shirt.
1000th RBL goal graffiti
The record breaker
Emil Forsberg will forever have a place in the history books of RB Leipzig. He holds a number of records:
- Emil has played 324 times in the white and red of RB Leipzig. Only Yussuf Poulsen (380) has racked up more appearances for RBL.
- He has registered the most assists in Leipzig’s history, with 69, though Yussi is hot on his heels, having set up 65 goals for RBL.
- Nobody looks like catching Emil’s 47 Bundesliga assists anytime soon, however. Of all the players who are still at Leipzig, Timo Werner (36) has the next-most assists for the club in the top division of German football.
- Emil has bagged 71 goals for RBL, which puts him fourth in the all-time standings.
- He has the joint-most UCL goals for RBL alongside Christopher Nkunku, with 11. Fittingly, Leipzig’s very own Mr. Champions League has racked up the most appearances for the club in Europe’s premier competition. His 41 UCL caps puts him ahead of Yussuf Poulsen (34) and Péter Gulácsi (33).
- Emil is a famously cool customer, especially from the spot. He’s converted 23 of the 26 penalties he’s taken for RB Leipzig (penalty shootouts not included) and even managed to score 11 in a row.
Emil’s RB Leipzig career in numbers
- Bundesliga
196 games, 40 goals, 47 assists
- 2. Bundesliga
46 games, 8 goals, 11 assists
- Champions League
41 games, 11 goals, 4 assists
- DFB-Pokal
24 games, 9 goals, 4 assists
- Europa League (including qualifying rounds)
15 games, 3 goals, 3 assists
- DFL-Supercup
2 games, 0 goals, 0 assists
Emil’s biggest achievements
- Bundesliga promotion, 2016
- Guldbollen winner (Best Swedish Footballer), 2021
- DFB-Pokal winner, 2022
- DFB-Pokal winner, 2023
- Supercup winner, 2023
