Christopher Nkunku
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Christopher Nkunku | |
| |
| Full Name | Christopher Alan Nkunku |
| Date of Birth | 14 November 1997 |
| Place of Birth | Lagny-sur-Marne, France |
| Position | Attacking midfielder Forward |
| Chelsea career | 2023 – |
| Debut | 19 December 2023 |
| Games (goals) | 56 (17) |
| Other clubs | Paris Saint-Germain RB Leipzig |
Christopher Nkunku is a French footballer, who plays as a attacking midfielder or forward for Chelsea.
Contents |
Before Chelsea
Nkunku joined the Paris Saint-Germain Academy in 2010 at the age of 13. He made his professional debut for PSG in December 2015, gradually becoming a squad player over the next few seasons. During his time in Paris, he was part of a team that won multiple domestic titles, including three Ligue 1 championships.
In July 2019, Nkunku transferred to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. He quickly established himself as a key player due to his versatility, creativity, and goal-scoring ability. His 2021–22 season was especially notable as he was named Bundesliga Player of the Season, scoring 20 goals and providing 15 assists in the league.
Chelsea career
2023–24 Season
On 20 June 2023, Christopher Nkunku agreed to join Premier League side Chelsea on a six-year contract, officially completing his move on 1 July. The transfer fee was reported to be around £52 million. However, shortly before the start of the season, Nkunku suffered a knee injury during a pre-season friendly, which required surgery and sidelined him for several months. He eventually made his Chelsea debut on 19 December 2023 in the EFL Cup quarter-final against Newcastle United, scoring a penalty in the shoot-out after the match ended 1–1.
Just five days later, he made his Premier League debut, coming off the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers and scoring a late consolation goal in a 2–1 defeat. Nkunku continued to find the net, scoring again on 31 January 2024 in a 4–1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
Although his debut season was hampered by injuries, he managed to register several important contributions in crucial matches, particularly during Chelsea's push for European qualification towards the end of the season.
Statistics
| Season | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2023-24 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024-25 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 14 |
| Total | 38 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 17 |
- Correct as of 18 April 2025"
Goals
| # | Season | Date | Year | Competition | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue |
| 1 | 2023-24 | 24 December | 2023 | Premier League | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1-2 | 1-2 | Molineux Stadium |
| 2 | 2023-24 | 31 January | 2024 | Premier League | Liverpool | 1-3 | 1-4 | Anfield |
| 3 | 2023-24 | 15 May | 2024 | Premier League | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2-0 | 2-1 | the Amex |
| 4 | 2024-25 | 22 August | 2024 | UEFA Conference League | Servette | 1-0 | 1-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 5 | 2024-25 | 29 August | 2024 | UEFA Conference League | Servette | 1-0 | 1-2 | Stade de Genève |
| 6 | 2024-25 | 14 September | 2024 | Premier League | Bournemouth | 1-0 | 1-0 | Dean Court |
| 7 | 2024-25 | 24 September | 2024 | League Cup | Barrow | 1-0 | 5-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 8 | 2024-25 | 24 September | 2024 | League Cup | Barrow | 2-0 | 5-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 9 | 2024-25 | 24 September | 2024 | League Cup | Barrow | 5-0 | 5-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 10 | 2024-25 | 03 October | 2024 | UEFA Conference League | Gent | 3-1 | 4-2 | Stamford Bridge |
| 11 | 2024-25 | 24 October | 2024 | UEFA Conference League | Panathinaikos | 4-0 | 4-1 | Olympic Stadium |
| 12 | 2024-25 | 07 November | 2024 | UEFA Conference League | Noah | 7-0 | 8-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 13 | 2024-25 | 07 November | 2024 | UEFA Conference League | Noah | 8-0 | 8-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 14 | 2024-25 | 28 November | 2024 | UEFA Conference League | Heidenheim | 1-0 | 2-0 | Voith-Arena |
| 15 | 2024-25 | 04 December | 2024 | Premier League | Southampton | 2-1 | 5-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 16 | 2024-25 | 11 January | 2025 | FA Cup | Morecambe | 2-0 | 5-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 17 | 2024-25 | 25 February | 2025 | Premier League | Southampton | 1-0 | 4-0 | Stamford Bridge |
International
Nkunku received his first senior call-up to the France national team in March 2022 for friendly matches against Ivory Coast and South Africa, scheduled for the 25th and 29th of the month. He made his debut as a starter in the match against Ivory Coast. Later that year, on 9 November 2022, Nkunku was named in France’s 25-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, just days before the tournament, he suffered a knee injury during a training session at Clairefontaine following a collision with Eduardo Camavinga, which ruled him out of the competition. Nkunku eventually scored his first international goal on 10 October 2024, finding the net in France’s 4–1 away victory over Israel.
Honours
Club
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018-19
- Coupe de France: 2016–17, 2017–18
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2016–17, 2017–18
- Trophée des Champions: 2017, 2018
- RB Leipzig
- DFB-Pokal: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Chelsea
International
- France
| Current Squad |
|---|
| 1 Sanchez • 2 Disasi • 3 Cucurella • 5 Badiashile • 7 Sterling • 8 Enzo • 10 Mudryk • 10 Madueke • 13 Bettinelli • 14 Chalobah • 15 Jackson • 16 Ugochukwu • 17 Chukwuemeka • 18 Nkunku • 20 Palmer • 21 Chilwell • 23 Gallagher • 24 James • 25 Caicedo • 26 Colwill • 27 Gusto • 28 Petrovic • 31 Casadei • 33 Fofana • 42 Gilchrist • 45 Lavia Manager: Enzo Maresca |
